Dogwood Hill

by Sherryl Woods

  Aidan laughed. “Exactly what I intended.”

  His expression sobered as he studied her. “You seem better today. It’s not just because you’re losing a houseguest, is it?”

  Liz wasn’t sure she was ready to get into this, but she did shake her head. “I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the things you said the other day. I’m not sure what I intend to do about it yet, but I can admit you made a couple of valid points. I have been stuck in the past.”

  She deliberately held his gaze and opted to be pushy for once. “Have you considered taking your own advice?”

  He seemed genuinely startled by the question, but then his expression shut down. “No idea what you mean,” he claimed.

  “Of course you do,” she said, calling him on the deliberate evasion. “I don’t know what your secrets might be and you certainly don’t have to share them with me, but I do know they have as firm a grip on you as mine do on me.”

  “And how did you reach that conclusion?” he asked, his tone disparaging. “I thought Will Lincoln was the only professional shrink in town.”

  “True. He has a degree and actual office hours,” she replied, refusing to take offense. “But I have a woman’s intuition and sometimes that’s just as good in certain circumstances. I caught your expression during that pretty little speech you made to me on Sunday. It suddenly dawned on you that you’re carrying some burden you’re keeping secret, too. When you realized you were being hypocritical, you couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”

  She managed to catch his gaze and hold it. “Can you honestly tell me I’m wrong?”

  For a minute it seemed he might not answer at all, but then he sighed heavily. “Not really,” he confessed.

  “Care to share?”

  “Not really,” he said.

  A twinkle came and went in his eyes so quickly she might have missed it if she hadn’t been watching him so closely. She couldn’t help feeling pleased with herself for pegging his likely reaction.

  “Then I guess we both have some thinking to do and some decisions to make,” she said quietly. “It’s actually kind of nice to know I’m not the only one who’s not an open book.”

  He gave her a long, serious look, then chuckled. “I wonder if we both wouldn’t be much better off hanging out with people who can’t see right through us.”

  Liz laughed with him. “What would be the fun in that? I like people who keep me on my toes.”

  “Only up to a point,” he suggested.

  This time she was the one whose expression sobered as she sighed. “Yes, but only up to a point.”

  It suddenly seemed as if this habit she had of trying to solve riddles was about to drag her even more deeply into a sea of complications. Lately, though, since she’d met Aidan, it seemed it might be worth going there.

  * * *

  After thinking about that disconcerting conversation with Liz for most of the day, Aidan really needed to work off some steam. Since vigorous sex was definitely off the table, he decided to see if the guys were playing basketball anytime soon.

  “Come on, Archie, let’s go for a walk,” he said, grinning when the dog immediately found his leash and brought it to him, tail wagging.

  As he hit Main Street with Archie already tugging on his leash and eager to run, Aidan caught the gloating expressions on Shanna’s face and on Bree’s when they caught sight of the two of them. Obviously they shared Liz’s sense of triumph over getting him to adopt the dog. Susie was the next to step outside when she saw them. She stood in the doorway of the management office, a grin on her face.

  “New addition to the family?” she inquired with a cat-that-swallowed-the-canary look.

  Aidan nodded.

  “You do know that there’s a No Pet clause in your lease, don’t you?” she said solemnly.

  Aidan came to a complete stop and stared at her. “You can’t be serious?”

  She nodded. “Oh, but I am.”

  “And you never thought to say a word about it before now? I know you were well aware that Liz has been trying to pawn Archie off on me.”

  “I assumed you’d read the lease,” Susie said innocently. “Seems to me that’s the first thing a man who really didn’t want a pet might have done.”

  “Well, I obviously never read the fine print,” he grumbled. “Are you going to be the one to tell Liz I can’t keep Archie?” He looked at the dog, whose attention was going back and forth as if he knew he was the topic of conversation. “For that matter, are you going to tell Archie he doesn’t have a new home, after all?”

  For just an instant, Susie looked vaguely guilty. Then she chuckled. “Got you!”

  Aidan frowned. “Got me? What does that mean?”

  “There’s no pet clause in the lease, and even if there were, Uncle Mick and my dad would never enforce it. I just wanted to see for myself if Liz was right and you really are attached to that dog.”

  The level of relief that washed over him startled him. Apparently it was true. He liked the dog. And, as much as he’d grumbled about taking him in, he wanted Archie to stay.

  “You are a sneaky, sneaky woman,” he told Susie.

  She looked surprisingly pleased by the comment. “I’d almost forgotten how much fun that could be,” she told him. “I’ll have to work on honing that skill again.”

  Somehow Aidan doubted that Mack or anyone else in the family would encourage it.

  “So, are you through getting me all worked up over nothing?” he inquired lightly.

  She tilted her head thoughtfully, then said, “Yeah. I think that will do it for now. Stay alert, though. You make such an easy mark, I might be tempted to try something else.”

  Given what Aidan knew about her health history, he couldn’t get truly angry over her prank. It was nice to see this playful side of her. He suspected even though they might not want it directed their way, most of the family would agree.

  He gave a gentle tug on Archie’s leash. “Come on, boy. We’ve got places to go.” He waved in Susie’s direction as they walked away.

  At Connor’s office, he was forced to endure yet more teasing the instant Connor spotted Archie tied up to a post on the porch of the house that had been converted into a law office.

  “So, the rumors are true? Liz won, and you now have a dog?”

  “Seems that way.”

  “You don’t seem as distraught by that as you did when she first backed you into a corner,” Connor observed.

  “Archie and I have an agreement,” Aidan explained. “We’re not going to do anything to make each other’s lives miserable. I think it’ll work out. In fact, it may be a whole lot less complicated than most relationships with humans.”

  Though he’d made the remark lightly, Connor’s expression turned serious. “Does that mean you’re giving up on Liz? I know a whole bunch of people who are going to be unhappy about that.”

  “I’m not giving up. It’s just on hold,” Aidan told him, then quickly amended, “By mutual agreement, so tell all those women in your family not to get their drawers in a knot.”

  Connor didn’t seem pacified. “Mutual agreement? You sure about that?”

  “A hundred percent,” Aidan insisted. “That’s the way we both want it. Liz even more than me, if I’m being honest.”

  Connor regarded him doubtfully. “Okay, if you say so. And since you apparently didn’t come by here for my expert commentary on women not always meaning what they say, what did bring you by?”

  “Basketball,” Aidan told him. “Are you all getting together to play again anytime soon?”

  Connor’s lips twitched. “I’m sensing a desperate need to work off some frustration.”

  “Bingo.”

  “The kind of frustration generally brought on by woman problems,” Connor c
ontinued as if Aidan hadn’t spoken.

  “I never said that,” Aidan protested.

  “You didn’t have to. I’m a guy. I’ve been where you are. I played a lot of basketball.” He grinned. “I imagine I can make a few calls and put a game together for tonight. Seven o’clock?”

  “That’ll do,” Aidan said. “I appreciate it.” He glanced out the window and noted that Archie was straining on his leash, trying to get to a window, apparently so he could spot Aidan. The dog probably wasn’t strong enough to pull down that post he’d been tied to, but better not to find out for sure. “I should go.” He gestured toward the window. “Archie seems impatient and that’s probably not good.”

  Connor nodded, a grin tugging at his lips. “See you tonight. Prepare to sweat.”

  Aidan laughed. “As if you ‘girls’ present any real challenge,” he taunted.

  Connor shook his head. “Did you learn nothing last time? Trash talk only gets us all riled up.”

  “Not enough to beat us, though. I’m just hoping to make it more interesting this time.”

  “I’ll be sure to pass that along,” Connor promised. “When O’Brien pride is on the line, things can get ugly.”

  Aidan wasn’t impressed by the implied threat in his tone or the words of warning. “You do whatever you need to do.”

  He gave Connor a casual wave on his way out the door, untied his dog, then jogged back to his apartment. All in all, he considered his first day out of school to have been an interesting one. Tonight he’d find out what sort of price he’d pay for his possibly ill-advised taunts. It didn’t much matter, though, as long as it kept his mind off Liz.

  * * *

  Liz was going through catalogs looking for new inventory to replace everything that had sold out already when Susie Franklin came in.

  “Where were you earlier?”

  Liz regarded her with confusion. “I’ve been here all morning. Why? What did I miss?”

  A broad grin spread across Susie’s face. “I really got Aidan.”

  “Got him how?” Liz asked.

  “I told him there was a No Pet clause in his lease. There’s not, of course, and Uncle Mick would have given him an exception if there were, but you should have seen his face. I don’t care what he says to you about not really wanting that dog, he’s totally attached to Archie.”

  Liz laughed. “Of course he is. I knew those two were a perfect match from the first moment I saw them together.”

  “And so much less complicated than claiming Aidan for yourself,” Susie commented slyly.

  Liz frowned at her. “No idea what you mean.”

  “Oh, of course you do, but I won’t push. That’s not why I came in. Apparently the guys are having an impromptu basketball game tonight so Aidan can work off some sort of stress.” She looked even more amused by that. “I can’t imagine why, can you? I mean, school is out, so where’s the pressure?”

  “Are you heading somewhere with this observation?” Liz asked her, though it would probably have been wiser to let it pass.

  “Just saying,” Susie said, her eyes sparkling with barely contained laughter. “Anyway, it gives us the perfect chance to have a book club meeting at my place.”

  “Has anyone actually read a book lately?” Liz inquired, amused as always that they still insisted on calling it a book club.

  Susie shrugged. “Probably not, but we’re well-intentioned. Shanna’s always reading something. She can give us the condensed version and we can move on to other topics.”

  Liz laughed. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”

  “Oh, she’ll hate it, but facts are facts. In summer especially, none of us has a second to actually read a book.” She regarded Liz hopefully. “Are you in?”

  “I’m in,” Liz said. “But only if you can assure me that Aidan and I won’t become the main topic of conversation.”

  “No promises,” Susie said blithely. “The two of you are awfully fascinating, but I’ll do what I can.”

  Short of avoiding her friends for the foreseeable future, Liz figured that was the best she could hope for. “What time?”

  “Seven. I’m going to make a huge salad and a big bowl of fresh fruit. That’s my contribution to healthy. The rest of you can bring the decadent stuff.”

  “I call dibs on bringing ice cream,” Liz said. These days it was a wonder she hadn’t become the sole support of Ben & Jerry’s. She had a hunch that Aidan’s approach to handling stress by playing an energetic game of basketball with the guys was probably a whole lot healthier. Too bad the women didn’t seem similarly inclined.

  * * *

  With the cool breeze blowing off the bay a refreshing change from the day’s earlier heat and humidity, Liz and the O’Brien women had gathered on Susie’s porch with its amazing view of the water.

  “I swear, I don’t know how you ever get anything done, much less make yourself leave the house with a view like this,” Liz told Susie as she sipped a glass of sweet tea.

  Susie glanced up and looked around as if it was all new to her. “It is pretty incredible, isn’t it? I’m afraid there are too many days when I take it for granted. When I was so sick and Mack was having this house built, all I did was pray that I’d live long enough to move into it with him. The day he carried me across the threshold here was one of the happiest of my life. I was so afraid things would go badly with my treatments that I spent every minute I could right here, in this very chair, soaking it all in.”

  She looked around, tears in her eyes. “And now I take it for granted. How awful is that?”

  “That’s the way life is, sweetie,” Bree said, moving her own chair closer and giving Susie’s hand a squeeze. “We don’t dwell in the past. We keep looking ahead. Sometimes that means we forget all those promises we made to God when times were tough.”

  Susie sighed. “It shouldn’t be that way, though. I have so much. I have my health back. I have this beautiful home. I have the man of my dreams, and yet I want more.”

  Heather and Shanna immediately exchanged a guilty look. Susie caught it.

  “Stop that! Being pregnant is a wonderful thing and I am so, so happy for both of you,” Susie told them, but the sadness in her eyes suggested something else.

  Liz understood that dream in a way none of the others could. She’d gone into teaching because of her love for children and their curious minds and clever imaginations. She’d been so sure she and Josh were ready for that step. Learning otherwise on that terrible night of the accident had devastated her.

  Sure, unlike Susie, physically she was still able to have children, but since she couldn’t envision a time when she’d allow a man back into her life, it seemed children were off the table, as well. So, to some degree, she could relate to Susie’s longing for something that seemed so far out of reach.

  “You and Mack are hoping to adopt, right?” she asked.

  Susie nodded. “But it’s a long process, a lot longer than I ever imagined. I was delusional, I guess. I thought we’d fill out all those forms, go through a ton of interviews and a baby would miraculously appear a few weeks or months later.” She made a face. “Not so much.”

  “Don’t you dare give up,” Jess told her. The owner of the inn had taken a rare night off to join them. Usually once the summer season was in full gear, she didn’t allow herself many breaks.

  “Of course I won’t give up,” Susie said. “But trying not to be discouraged is a little beyond me.” She forced a smile. “Enough of that. Mack’s probably sick of listening to me. I’m sick of listening to me, for that matter. I don’t want to drive you all away, too.”

  “You couldn’t do that if you tried,” Heather said. “You’re stuck with us, especially since you have the great view and the excellent snacks. I say we bring on the ice cream.”

  Liz sto
od up, as eager as the rest of them for a change in topic. “I brought three kinds, along with enough toppings to stock an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor. I’m thinking sundaes. How about the rest of you?”

  Shanna moved with surprising agility for a woman in her eighth month of pregnancy. Heather was up just as quickly.

  Five minutes later, the granite countertop of the island in Susie’s kitchen held a spread of everything from hot fudge sauce and peanuts to melted caramel, sprinkles and whipped cream. Double dips of ice cream had been doled out, accompanied by teasing remarks and plenty of laughter.

  When they were finally back on the porch with the desserts, sighs of contentment could be heard all around.

  “Shouldn’t we be talking about books?” Shanna asked between bites. “When I get home, I need to be able to tell Kevin that we really are a book club and say it with a straight face.”

  “So talk,” Heather said.

  Shanna shook her head. “I can’t. My mouth is full of ice cream. Anybody else?”

  “I read a book on Australian shepherds the other day,” Liz volunteered without thinking.

  A hoot of laughter greeted her comment.

  “Australian shepherds?” Susie echoed. “Not boxers or cocker spaniels or terriers?”

  Liz frowned at her. “What’s your point?” she asked irritably, though she knew perfectly well what they were all thinking.

  “We just find your fascination with that particular breed interesting, that’s all,” Bree said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  “Personally I was thinking she was looking for an excuse to see Aidan so she could pass along information she thought he might need,” Susie said. “You know, since they’ve agreed not to see each other that way anymore.” She drew dramatic quotation marks in the air around that way.

  “And why aren’t you seeing each other that way?” Shanna asked. “I don’t get it.”

  Liz looked from one expectant face to the next, noted the barely contained laughter, then sighed.

  “Okay, I’m pitiful,” she acknowledged. “Aidan’s never had a dog before and I thought the book might be helpful, but that isn’t the reason I ordered it. I wanted an excuse to see him.”