If Keith hadn’t died, maybe I’d be part of that group. Or not.
She shook off the painful thought and ran faster past a woman bundled in a jacket bent over a tide pool to poke something with the tip of a stick while a blond girl sat alone on a nearby rock. Farther up the beach, a couple strolled hand in hand, their laughter drifting on the breeze. Sweat dripped down Nina’s face and neck to pool between her breasts. Slowing to a stop, she braced her hands on her knees and forced air into her labored lungs.
What an idiot she was, letting her emotions get out of control and running like a woman possessed. Now she’d have to go home to shower before she could try on her dress for the wedding. Which meant she’d better head straight back to her car. Turning down the beach, she jogged to cool off and smiled at a fellow runner in a bright pink T-shirt going in the opposite direction. The young girl had left her rock to stand ankle-deep in water while the tide surged away from her bare feet. Up ahead, the group of preschoolers had abandoned their castles to chase seagulls, screaming like banshees as the birds flew away with equally harsh cries.
When a scrap of paper blew across her path, Nina bent to grab the piece of litter and thrust it into the pocket of her shorts, then picked up her pace again. The cool breeze off the ocean dried her sweat and soothed her soul. By the time she reached the trail up to the parking lot, she’d gotten over her attack of self-pity.
Until the next time.
* * *
Where had she put the lottery ticket? She turned the pockets of her jacket inside out but found only a few coins and a small clamshell, then searched through the open bag on the bench by the kitchen door. Bits of sand stuck to her fingertips as she pulled out the miscellaneous assortment that had accumulated since she’d last cleaned out her tote bag. Relief filled her when her fingers closed around a piece of paper, but it wasn’t the magic ticket, only an old grocery receipt she wadded and chucked in the trash.
The lottery ticket must have blown away while she was on the beach, but she didn’t have time to spare looking for it right now. Not if she didn’t want to be late.
What were the chances her numbers would be the winning ones, anyway? She’d played those same numbers for years to no avail, but this time she’d felt lucky. Her lips tightened. Obviously not. The underlying feeling of nervous anticipation keeping her on edge must be due to summer drawing near. Memories of that humid day had become more insistent and dominated her dreams. She glanced toward the small head bent over the picture books open on the table.
The day of reckoning was almost here.
Chapter Two
Teague stared across the sea of boxes at his daughter lining up stuffed animals on the sofa. He pressed the fingers of one hand to his temple while clutching his phone tighter in the other. “You want me to start work this Saturday? I was counting on an extra week to get settled and find childcare for my daughter.”
The voice of the fire captain on the other end of the line explained calmly but firmly that they were short-handed due to an on-the-job injury. His new boss’s appeal may have been couched in the form of a request but in actuality was a direct order.
“Fine, I’ll make it work and report for duty Saturday morning. Thanks for the call.” He disconnected and stuffed his phone in his pocket. Times like these, the ache of missing Jayne was nearly unbearable. The weight of the world pressed down on him and threatened to crush his spirit, but he didn’t have time to wallow in self-pity. Instead, he needed to find a reliable babysitter without delay.
Avoiding boxes, he reached the kitchen where the real estate agent had left a packet of local information on the counter. Sorting through takeout menus, he found the promised list of daycare facilities, summer camp programs, and vetted babysitters available to work weekends and evenings. A live-in nanny would be more convenient, but after the last fiasco, hiring another one wasn’t an option.
Pulling out his phone again, he started making calls and counted himself lucky when three potential candidates agreed to meet him for a brief interview that afternoon. Hopefully at least one of them would pan out.
Teague headed back to the living room and froze. The assortment of animals still occupied the black leather couch, but Keely was nowhere in sight. He cocked an ear for any hint of sound upstairs, but the house was suspiciously quiet. A box labeled Art Supplies stood open next to the coffee table, and a container of crayons and one of chalk had been left on its polished surface.
“Keely.” His shout echoed back at him. When his heart rate accelerated, he took a calming breath. This was why he’d left the city, so he wouldn’t have to worry about his daughter every time she disappeared from view. Hurrying past clumps of furniture, he reached the front door and stepped out onto the porch.
“Keely!”
A bark sounded, slightly muffled, followed by high-pitched laughter coming from the direction of his neighbor’s house. Relief filled him. As he descended the steps, Nina Hutton cruised up the street in her bright red Mini Cooper and pulled into her driveway. By the time she stepped out of the car, he’d reached her side.
Dark hair cut short and wispy framed perfectly symmetrical features and pure green eyes. A sweat-dampened purple tank top was plastered to her curves, and spandex running shorts showed off legs that could easily have graced the cover of a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The woman was stunning.
“Can I help you with something?”
He forced himself to stop staring. “Uh, Keely and Coco went missing. I’m pretty sure they’re in your backyard.”
“I found them there earlier. Maybe she went back while I was at the beach.”
“Do you mind if I check?”
A smile curved the edges of Nina’s pink lips. “Since I’m not in the habit of collecting children, of course not. Come on through.”
He walked at her side across the patch of lawn separating her small, two-story cabin from the single-car garage, following a series of drag marks he feared were his daughter’s doing. He gave his new neighbor points for not saying anything about the trail of uprooted grass as they passed flower beds bursting with blooms behind brick borders.
“I’ll make it clear to my daughter she’s not to visit you without permission anymore.”
“I honestly don’t mind.”
“Well, I do.”
He halted abruptly when they rounded the corner. Keely stood in front of her red and blue plastic easel, painting with big splashes of color on a large sheet of paper clipped to its surface. Beside her stood a much taller, wooden easel holding an oil depiction of a nesting robin on a square canvas. The picture looked like the work of a professional.
His daughter glanced over her shoulder and waved her brush. “Look, Daddy, I’m painting.”
“So I see. How did you get that easel over here?”
“I pulled it behind me.” She turned back to her painting. “Isn’t my picture pretty?”
“You have an eye for detail.” Nina stepped closer. “I can easily tell those flowers are hydrangeas.”
They looked like lavender blotches to Teague. “Very nice, but we have to go home.”
“I’m almost done.”
“Keely.” His voice held a note of warning.
“Please can I finish my picture, Daddy?”
“I need to shower and leave again for an appointment, but I don’t mind if she stays a little longer.”
Teague glanced from his daughter’s pleading eyes to the understanding in Nina’s and nodded slowly. “I suppose so, but we’re going to have a serious talk about boundaries later, right after I repair those drag marks in the lawn.”
Keely added swirls of green around the lavender blobs. “What are boundaries?”
“Something you don’t know much about.” He bent to stroke Coco’s head when the dog left the hydrangea bushes to lean against his ankle. “You need to finish up quickly. I’m interviewing babysitters, and the first one will be here soon.”
“Maybe Nina can watch me instead.”
When his neighbor’s eyes widened in what looked like horror, Teague held back a grin. “No, she can’t.” His tone was non-negotiable as he met the woman’s gaze head-on. “If you need to get ready to go somewhere . . .” He took another quick look at those incredible legs.
She glanced at the watch strapped to her wrist. “I have a dress fitting for a wedding. You have real talent, Keely. I’d be happy to help you with your painting when I have more time.”
His daughter stood a little taller. “You’d do that?”
“Sure. I’ll show you a few basic techniques . . .” Nina glanced his way. “If your dad doesn’t mind?”
“Of course not, but don’t feel obligated.”
“I don’t.” With a quick smile, she headed across the backyard to the large deck and disappeared inside.
Teague tried to dismiss the sexy image of long legs imprinted on his temporal lobe. The woman was getting married soon, and salivating over her extremely fine ass seemed somehow wrong. He turned back to his daughter. “I need to get a tool—if I can find the right box in that huge mess we call a living room—to fix Nina’s grass. Don’t move from this spot while I’m gone.”
She tilted her head at an angle before adding a yellow sun to the top corner of her picture. “I won’t.”
Five minutes later, he gave up the search for the box marked Garden and pulled the divot repair tool out of his golf bag instead. It would take longer than using a hand rake but would still do the job. His daughter had finished her painting, and he was making serious progress on the drag marks when Nina strolled out of the house and stopped beside her car. The sweaty running clothes had been replaced by a sleeveless shirt and shorts only marginally longer than the ones she’d previously worn. She still looked extremely hot.
“You don’t have to do that.” She glanced over at Keely, who was turning cartwheels in the front yard.
He focused on her face. “Yes, I do. The next time the sprinklers go, the grass should perk up again.”
“Well, thanks for your due diligence, but I wouldn’t have lost sleep over those marks.” Nina opened her car door. “Good luck with your babysitter search.”
“I appreciate that . . . and your compassion for my daughter.” He kept his voice low. “She’s acting out a bit, hiding her insecurities over this move with boldness. I’m trying to set a course between understanding and a strict adherence to our rules.”
“Seems to me you’re doing just fine. She’s a sweet kid, funny and bright. As I said, I don’t mind if she visits me.”
“Thank you, but I’ll try to keep a tighter rein on her.”
With a nod, she climbed into her car, started it, and backed down the driveway. Maybe he should have investigated his neighbors more thoroughly before buying the old Victorian. He hadn’t been this attracted to a woman since Jayne, and his hormones had shifted into overdrive.
He glanced away from the now-empty street when Coco strolled over to his side. “Not very smart.”
The dog cocked her head and gave him a curious look.
“Getting all hot and bothered over a woman headed off to try on a wedding dress. Bad form.” His life was problematic enough. He didn’t need any more complications.
* * *
Leah pressed her hands to her cheeks, and her brown eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God! You two look stunning.”
Nina studied her reflection beside Paige’s in the mirror and smiled. “We do, don’t we?”
“Absolutely.” Paige fluffed the chiffon material of her skirt, which hit her just below the knees. “We’re opposites in every way, but this aqua color looks fabulous on both of us. Your eyes look even greener than usual, and mine are bluer.”
“That’s because the color sort of shifts when we move.” Nina glanced over her shoulder to assess her bare back. “I need to even out my tan. I have pale marks from running in a tank top. I was just down on the beach an hour ago.”
“Maybe so, but strapless was definitely the right choice for style.” Leah walked in a slow circle around her two bridesmaids. “Wow! Definitely worth waiting for them on backorder.”
“Nina would look spectacular in a sack.” Paige’s tone was matter-of-fact as she sucked in her breath and fingered the band around her waist. “If I lose two pounds, it’ll fit perfectly, but we need to take up the hem at least three inches.”
The seamstress scribbled in her notebook, then placed a couple of pins in Paige’s skirt. She glanced at Leah over the top of her bifocals. “Is this the length you want, a couple inches above the knee?”
“I think so. That’s where Nina’s dress falls right now, so we can’t go any longer.”
“I’d kill for her legs.” Paige stood on her toes and twirled. “Even in heels, I’m short.”
Nina grinned. “I have giraffe legs, just like my new neighbor.”
“Huh?” Paige stopped moving when the seamstress touched the wide band at her waist.
“If it’s tight, I can let it out a half inch.”
“No, I’m going to lose those two pounds instead.” She glanced back at Nina. “What new neighbor?”
“The people who bought the Victorian across the street moved in this morning. They have a little girl who made herself at home in my yard. She’s blond and adorable like you, but on the gangly side. She told me a mean boy said she has giraffe legs.”
“I hope she punched him.”
“She just might have since she seems pretty self-confident.”
Leah broke off her conversation with the seamstress. “Did you get a look at the girl’s mother yet?”
“Nope, but I’ve had a couple of conversations with her dad. Very intense and a little stressed out, but friendly enough.” Nina waved a hand in front of her face. “He’s even better-looking up close. On a scale of one to ten, the dude’s a thirteen.”
Paige turned to stare. “This I want to see. Does he have a name? I’ll stalk him online. He must have a profile on Crossroads. Everyone does.”
“Teague O’Dell. They moved here from the L.A. area. Uh, Encino, I think he said.”
“I’ll check him out.” Paige eyed the bride-to-be. “You don’t get to since you’re a soon-to-be married woman.”
“I’m engaged, not dead. Ryan knows he’s the only man I’ll ever want, but there’s no harm in just looking, right?”
“Good point.” Nina held out her arms when the seamstress pinched the fabric together at her sides. “You make me feel better about checking out the extremely fine behind of a man who is obviously taken. ‘Look but don’t touch’ will be my motto whenever he saunters by.”
“Words to live by.” Leah frowned. “I’d say we need to take the bodice in about an inch on Nina’s dress, Marge. Other than that, it’s perfect.”
The seamstress pinned the fabric, then stepped back and nodded, her gray curls shaking. “Be careful you don’t poke yourself when you take off that gown.” She turned to face Leah. “I should have the alterations done in two weeks.”
“Great. Thanks so much, Marge. Go change, you two, and then maybe we can have a cocktail together.”
“The intrepid trio rides again.” Paige headed toward the fitting room. “Just like old times.”
In the back of the shop, Nina unzipped her dress and eased out of the silky material. “I miss you guys. Lately, Leah is always preoccupied with Ryan and wedding details.”
“And I’ve been gone a lot, gearing up for my usual hectic summer, scouring the countryside for antiques to fill my store.” Paige peeked around the partition. “I’ve another estate sale to go to this weekend.”
“I need to get a life. I spend all my time painting, and sometimes I go days without talking to anyone. That can’t be healthy.”
“We should make a point of hanging out more often, even if Leah’s too busy to join us.” She ducked back into her own curtained cubicle, and her voice was muffled beneath the fabric of her dress. “Also, you should get to know your new neighbors. The mother of the little girl would pr
obably welcome any overtures on your part since she probably isn’t acquainted with anyone in the area.”
“True.” Nina hung up the gown and finished dressing. “I’d be doing both of us a favor. Good idea.” She slung her purse strap over her shoulder and headed out to the main room. When Paige appeared a few moments later, they thanked the seamstress and left the shop.
Leah glanced at her watch as they paused outside the door. “It’s after four. Do you want to head over to Castaways for a drink and appetizers?”
Nina nodded. “I’ll leave my car here since it’s only a couple of blocks. Did you walk, Paige?”
“Yep. Grab your bike, Leah, and let’s go.”
They strolled up the sidewalk, with Leah pushing her pink cruiser, chatting about the dresses and how wedding plans were progressing.
When they reached the bar, Nina held open the door, then glanced over at Leah as she lifted her bike into the rack. “You don’t have plans with Ryan this evening?”
“He’s in Portland at a board meeting for Crossroads. I guess they’re planning more effective advertising strategies for website users who want to target specific groups.”
“I like the sound of that.” Paige smoothed back a strand of blond hair that had come loose from her upswept twist. “Small businesses would definitely benefit from the ability to target interested clients. Lately, I have more and more online customers searching for specific pieces.”
Nina let the door shut behind them as she followed her friends toward a table near the wall of windows with a panoramic view of the ocean. “Old Things is a success because you’re a smart businesswoman, Paige, and Ryan is a genius when it comes to coding and social media strategies.”
Leah pulled out a chair and sat. “You’ve got that right. My future husband is brilliant, period. He was smart enough to propose to me.”
“Good point.” Nina smiled as their cocktail waitress approached. “What are we having, ladies?”
Lost Innocence Page 2
