Renovation (A Golden Beach Novel)

by Loraine, Kim

  “Yep.”

  She closed the distance between them, carefully placing the flowers back on the table. His eyes darkened as she pressed her body against his.

  His lips were mere centimeters from hers, she could feel their warmth, the promise of more. She inhaled the soothing scent of him while closing the gap between them. The feel of his skin on hers sent shockwaves through her. No one had ever caused this kind of reaction. She wanted to wrap up in him and stay there—the rest of the world be damned. He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs caressing her cheeks softly while his tongue delved into her mouth.

  “Hold on,” he groaned as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him, her legs sliding instinctively around his waist.

  He set her on the tabletop, grinning when she ran her finger lightly along his waistband.

  “Better, now I can really get to you.”

  “Pocket-sized problems,” she muttered under her breath.

  He burst out laughing. “Pocket-sized. I like that.”

  “My mom’s endearment for me. I’ve always hated it.” Why did she even say it? She kicked herself for spilling that nugget of information.

  “Your mom’s a smart woman.” His lips tickled as he kissed along her collar bone. “I’ve never liked pocket-sized anything until now.”

  Her answering groan spurred him on as he licked and nibbled his way back to her lips. By the time he pulled away, she was a panting ball of need. The cool air between their bodies left her with an empty feeling.

  “Where are you going, hotshot?” She reached for him as he stepped back.

  “I’ve got to feed you, sweetheart.”

  “Can I help?” She hopped down from her perch atop the table and straightened her shirt.

  “You cook?” He cocked an eyebrow.

  “Sort of.”

  “That’s not what Angie says.”

  Embarrassment flooded her. “Ungrateful little brat.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll cook, you prep. Sound good?”

  She grinned and sidled up next to him in the small kitchen. She chopped while he sautéed the chicken and made the sauce. It felt good to be doing something so mundane, so every day, with this passionate man. Their relationship started on a hot and heavy note and that had worried her. She found herself ditching her fear of a relationship and falling back into the old habit of needing someone.

  Worry ran rampant in the back of her mind, reminding her that physical attraction wasn’t the only thing that made a good relationship. She’d been physically attracted to Mick, but had nothing else in common with him.

  “So pensive,” he murmured in her ear.

  “Just some old memories.”

  “Good or bad?”

  She shook her head and grabbed the unopened bottle from the counter. “Wine?”

  He grinned and grabbed the corkscrew from a drawer. “Definitely.”

  While she poured, he put the finishing touches on dinner. She lounged at the table, sipping from her glass, enjoying the gentle sway of the boat.

  “So, I saw a picture of you on the internet today. Who’s Mick?”

  She sat up ramrod straight. “He’s my ex.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Like the kind of ex you still want to see?”

  “I didn’t even know he was there.”

  “He was stalking you?”

  A sick feeling twisted her stomach. “Maybe.”

  “Valerie, is this the guy who hurt you?”

  Her throat was dry and she nodded, unable to get the words out.

  Donovan clenched his jaw. His lips were pressed into a tight line, a slash across his beautiful face.

  “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?” She locked eyes with him, pleading.

  He sighed, letting out the anger and frustration, as he cupped her face in his hands. “If he comes near you, there’s not going to be a conversation. He’ll be laid out on the ground, bleeding.”

  The fiercely protective tone in his voice startled her, but wasn’t unwelcome. As he drew her into his arms, she pushed away the talk of dark things and changed the subject, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “Are we actually going to sail?”

  He turned his gorgeous eyes on her and smirked. “No. You’re not ready to go out yet. I just needed to see you here, in the most important place in my life.”

  Her heart flipped at his words and her mouth ran dry. He changed her perception of him at every turn. He placed a delicious smelling plate in front of her and motioned for her to dig in. Garlic, tomatoes, and cheese, all blended together in one glorious bite. She moaned around the food in her mouth and his answering smile warmed her from head to toe.

  “That’s the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard.”

  She filled her fork again and winked at him. “This is amazing. You are doing all the cooking. Always.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He sat down across from her, diving into his own meal, the grin on his face priceless.

  “What’s your deal?” she asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You put on this bad-boy mask, but are you really this guy? The romantic, sweeps-you-off-your-feet, makes amazing dinners, and plans awesome dates, nice-guy?”

  “Can’t I be a little bit of both?”

  She shook her head. “Not in my experience.”

  “Huh. Let me ask you then, has it ever worked out with either type?”

  “Clearly, the answer to that is no.”

  “My point exactly. Maybe what you really need is a little bit of both.”

  She speared the last bite from her plate and popped it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. Maybe he was right. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud clattering on the kitchen counter.

  “Shit, that’s my phone. Sorry. I forgot I had it on vibrate,” he said, clearly startled by the abrupt noise. He checked the caller ID and answered immediately.

  “Angie, what’s up?” His eyes went wide and darted to her face.

  Cold fear ran down her spine. Something was wrong, she knew that look. It was the same one she’d seen on countless faces when Simon was in the hospital.

  “I’ll get her there.” He hung up the phone and gave her a level look. “Your little brother had another seizure. He was at school on the monkey bars. I guess he seized while he was climbing and hit his head. He’s at General. Get your purse.”

  As if in slow motion, she stood, leaving her dishes, grabbing her purse, and following Donovan to his jeep. Her pulse pounded in her ears, disorienting her.

  “Valerie!” His shout snapped her out of the shock.

  They were parked outside of the hospital. She was here, again.

  “Thank you, Donovan. I’m sorry about our night.”

  “Do you want me to come in with you?”

  “No. I’ll call you later.”

  He kissed her gently, lingering just long enough for her to take in his scent. “He’ll be fine.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

  “What was he doing on the monkey bars?” Her mom’s voice was shrill, stressed. Valerie could hear her halfway down the hall as she ran toward Asher’s room.

  Her mom was red-faced—a clear sign that she’d been crying—when Valerie burst through the door.

  “Where’s Asher? Is he okay?” She looked around the room and found an empty bed, and her whole family sitting in the cramped room.

  “They took him for a CT scan. He’s conscious, but he was out for a good three minutes, seizing the whole time.” Her dad put his hand on her cheek. “Thanks for coming, baby girl.”

  “Of course. So, what the hell was the school thinking letting him on the monkey bars?” She picked up where her mom had left off. />
  Steam practically escaped her mom’s ears. “I don’t know, but believe me, there will be words. Strong ones, of the four letter variety.”

  “Calm down, Kelly.” Her dad, ever the steady one, attempted to soothe his fuming wife.

  Her mom huffed out a breath but sat, trying to calm herself down. Valerie caught Angela’s attention and motioned for her to head out to the hall with her.

  “Why didn’t you call me? You called Donovan instead,” she asked her sister.

  “I called you a million times. Your phone must have been off. I figured you’d be with him. He told me about the boat plans.”

  After she dug around in her bag, she found her phone on silent and forgotten, showing ten calls from Angela and five from her mom.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. It was on silent.”

  “It’s fine. I knew where to find you. I’m just glad Donovan had the sense to answer his phone. I didn’t want to have to come down there and . . . interrupt you.” Angela raised an eyebrow.

  “Shut up, Angie.”

  “Well, I mean, come on. It was heading that way, I’m sure.”

  “I’m not discussing this with you,” she said, cheeks heated and ears burning.

  “So, the whole not dating thing is off the table, then?”

  She rolled her eyes, irritation at her sister’s use of air quotes flaring. “I don’t know. I think you’re right. He’s different from who I thought he was.”

  “He’s an amazing man.” Angela’s eyes were shining with honest-to-God tears. “There’s a lot you don’t know about him, things he’s been through.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m a little gun-shy. He won’t talk to me about much. Any time we start to delve into the ugly parts of his life, he shuts down.”

  “No one wants to show off the ugly. You know that as well as anyone.”

  Her chest tightened at her sister’s words. “I know. I guess there’s a lot I’m not telling him, too.”

  Angela chewed on the rim of her paper coffee cup, a sure sign she was up to something.

  “What?”

  “Nothing, just thinking.”

  “That’s what worries me.”

  “Maybe if you opened up to him, talked about Simon, he’d feel like he could do the same.”

  She could practically see the wheels turning in Angela’s head. “Where are you going with this?”

  “Well, it’s Simon’s birthday in a few weeks. Mom wants to head to the lighthouse and have a picnic while the weather is still good. You know how much he loved the lighthouse. You should bring Donovan. That gives you a reason to talk about it.”

  “I don’t know.” Her heart squeezed at the thought of Donovan giving her the piteous look she’d gotten used to seeing every time she told Simon’s story.

  “Well, I’m asking Mom if it’s okay. She loves Donovan.”

  “She doesn’t know we’re dating.”

  “She’ll still love him, until she figures out you’re screwing.”

  Her face flamed all the way to the roots of her hair. “Can you please stop talking about my sex life?”

  Angela’s whoop of triumph echoed off the walls of the empty hospital hallway. “Yes! I knew it.”

  “Oh, my God. Why are you so interested?” she hissed, trying to quiet her sister and avoid drawing the attention of the nurses at the end of the hall.

  “He’s one of my best friends, Val.” She made a show of holding her hands apart. “I want him to be happy. I want you to be happy.” Clapping her hands together, she grinned. “You being happy together is the best of both worlds.”

  “What about when something goes wrong?”

  “Don’t screw it up and it won’t.”

  Valerie leaned against the wall, hoping her sister was right.

  Chapter 17

  A week later, Asher was back in school, on a new medication to manage his seizures, and Valerie was in charge of his pick-up and drop-off every day. As she waited outside the door to his classroom, she could hear the teacher singing their good-bye song. A smile graced her lips at the sound of Asher’s high-pitched little voice, singing as loud as he could.

  “Vawee!” Asher’s bright smile and excited screech pierced through the bustle of parents collecting their preschoolers.

  “Hey, buddy. How was your day?”

  “Good. I painted.”

  He held up a still slightly damp painting. He’d mixed all of the colors, creating a saturated, purplish-brown paper.

  “Oh, wow. What is it supposed to be?”

  “Mommy.”

  She turned the paper over and stared thoughtfully as they walked to the car. “It looks just like her, Ash.”

  “We can put it on the fwidge.”

  She nodded. “Absolutely.” Her heart filled with love for this adorable little person. He might not be able to pronounce his L’s or R’s but that just made him more endearing.

  She took his chubby little hand and walked him through the parking lot.

  “Who’s that?” Asher pointed at Blake who was leaning casually against his bright red Mercedes.

  “He’s my friend.”

  “I thought Donovan was youw fwiend?”

  A trickle of unexpected anxiety crept in at his words. “He’s my friend, too. Come on, let’s get you buckled up and home for a snack. Mommy will be home in about an hour.”

  As she buckled Asher into his booster seat, she could feel Blake’s eyes on her. Not entirely unwelcome, but they’d already established their position in the friend-zone.

  “Blake, what are you doing here?” She shut the door and turned to face him.

  He was beautiful, standing there in his crisp button-down shirt and robin’s egg blue tie. His eyes blazed a piercing blue.

  “I was heading in to check on a few of my patients before I leave for Richmond. I saw your car and figured I’d stop and say hi.”

  “Richmond? Your parents still live there?” She raised an eyebrow, remembering the only time she’d been invited to Richmond to visit the Monroes.

  “Yeah. They split their time between Richmond and Charleston. Mom’s got me for Friday dinners for the rest the summer.” He shrugged.

  “Sounds like pure joy.”

  Blake laughed and rolled his eyes. “Could be worse, I guess.

  “Thanks for stopping by. I’ve got to get my brother home before he starts eating the seats of my car.”

  Blake’s eyes darted to hers. “Valerie, I know you’re seeing that firefighter.”

  “Donovan.”

  “Yeah, him. I don’t want to get in the way, but could we have dinner, or coffee again? Just as friends.”

  She chewed her lip, concerned about leading him on, as well as further unearthing their tumultuous past. “I don’t know.”

  He took her hand, the warmth of his palm familiar and comforting. “Friends, Valerie. Friends see each other.”

  “Okay, how about this weekend? Coffee?”

  “Great. Tomorrow? I’ll pick you up at ten?”

  Her heart stuttered. Tomorrow was Saturday.

  “I’ll meet you on the boardwalk. Let’s say nine. I’ve got yoga in the morning.”

  He pulled her close for a tight embrace, and she breathed in his scent, feeling a little lightheaded as memories flooded her.

  What was she doing? Agreeing to have coffee with the man she’d almost married? She sat in the parking lot and watched Blake as his bright red convertible rumbled to life and pulled out into traffic.

  “Ugh.” She lowered her head to rest on the steering wheel.

  “Vawee?”

  “I’m okay, buddy. Let’s go home.”

  “I’m hungwy.”

  “Me, too. Peanut butter
and jelly?”

  Asher’s smile filled the rearview mirror and her heart lightened as she started the car.

  “Donovan Miller, when’s the wedding, man?” Klipper strutted into the firehouse, arms wide, and a shit-eating grin on his face.

  “Fucker.”

  “Seriously, you took her on your boat? Classic move.”

  Donovan’s ears burned as he changed clothes. His shift was over and he was ready to burn off some steam by running on the beach.

  “Oh, don’t be shy. Mike saw you two all cozy heading down to the marina. Was it all candlelight and violins and shit?”

  “I made dinner. We were interrupted. Her little brother had to go to the hospital.”

  Klipper’s face went ashen. “Shit. He okay?”

  “He’s fine.”

  “Thank God. That family’s been through hell. They don’t need another go round.” Klipper crossed himself.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Valerie hasn’t told you?”

  He was starting to get frustrated now. “Hasn’t told me what, Klip?”

  “Must’ve been five or six years ago now. Their brother, Simon, was playing outside. Valerie was about to leave to go back to college. She was watching him, but turned her back for a minute. Simon ran into the road and got hit. The driver fled the scene. They never caught him.”

  “How old was he?”

  “Four, I think. I was on the call. It was terrible. Fucking kids, man. He lived for months on life support.”

  Cold understanding trickled through him. This was why she’d been so terrified of Asher being in the hospital. Why hadn’t Angela told him any of this?

  “Hey, you up for a basketball game against the cops this week? I’ve got twenty bucks on us, but Sully’s shit and Mike said he’s got groveling to do.”

  Donovan waved a hand in absent agreement and grabbed his duffel bag. He threw it in the back of the jeep and headed out for a run. Valerie had told him she’d made plans for the morning so he needed something to keep him busy. Thoughts of her loss and his own issues clouded his focus and kept him from enjoying the usually relaxing run.