Season's Change: Summer: A Goddess Legacy Companion Novel (Goddess Legacy 1.5)

by M. W. Muse

  "Because if you think about it, the sole purpose of a flower's life is to live and die for someone's enjoyment. These flowers are uniquely special because the sole purpose in their lives was to live and die for your enjoyment."

  "I never thought of it that way," I breathed.

  Don continued to stare into my eyes. There was more he wanted to say in that moment, but didn't. Instead, he laughed a small, nervous laugh and looked away. Then he reached over, picked up two strawberries, and handed me one.

  After we each ate a few strawberries, he slipped his hand into mine. We both gazed at the horizon, and then I suddenly realized why he picked out this perfect spot.

  "The sunset is beautiful," I murmured. And it was. From our angle, the sun was centered over the horizon and falling behind the distant hills. It wasn't hot in the shade and the wind was all but forgotten. I could have sat here with him, forever.

  "It is." Not taking his eyes off the sun, he took our joined hands and put them into his lap. He then took his free hand and welded it over our hands, holding mine tightly between the two of his. "That's why I like to come up here. No matter what I may be going through, I can watch the day end and know that another is coming tomorrow. A new day brings with it new hope."

  "Do you come here often?" I wondered, pulling him out of his reverie. "Hmmm . . . yes and no. I didn't used to, but I've found myself coming here a lot

  lately."

  "What have you been struggling with?" I whispered, not wanting to pry, but concerned.

  "What?" He looked at me and was shocked that I'd asked that.

  "You said you come here when you want to see the end of a day because each new day brings new hope. If you're coming here more often," I guessed, "then, you're seeking a lot of hope."

  "Insightful," he breathed and looked down. "Why is that?"

  "Because of you," he said, his voice barely audible.

  My heart started racing, and the blood rushed up to my face. My breathing became heavy, and I wasn't sure how to control it, nor was I sure if I wanted to.

  Don gazed at me with gentle eyes. "Season, I care about you a lot. And that . . . that scares me."

  "Why?" I asked automatically because I was still reeling over how much he cared for me.

  "Season . . ." He sighed and looked away. He didn't want to answer. He was obviously uncomfortable talking about his feelings.

  "I'm sorry." I stared my feeble fingers, watching him squeeze them as if to gain strength. Then he moved his other hand to gently lift my chin until I met his gaze.

  "Don't . . . don't be sorry. It's just that part of me realizes I should've approached you sooner. Yet now that I have you here, with me, like this . . ." He shook his head. "I'm terrified."

  I looked at him with what I hoped were gentle, understanding eyes, but I couldn't trust my voice enough to speak yet.

  "I'm terrified," he continued, "of a lot of things. Knowing the right thing to do, understanding how I feel about you, wondering how you feel about me, and not knowing how to deal with so many other things. I don't always know the right answers."

  He wasn't just talking about us. He seemed distant, distracted, focused on things I didn't understand yet. Maybe in time he'd open up to me about everything. "We don't have to know any answers."

  We were both quiet for several minutes after the sun had set, lost in our own thoughts. I wasn't sure what he was thinking about, but I knew what I was. Before, I didn't allow myself to think of the possibilities with Don. Now, I was happy embracing all those forbidden possibilities.

  He stared into my eyes and delicately brushed my cheek with trembling fingers. The electrical shock that singed my cheek was all too brief since he let his hand fall to his lap.

  "I'm not sure how to do this," he confessed, and I realized that this was one of the things that terrified him. He didn't know how to act with me. "We've been friends for so long, and I'm scared that I—I mean, we—might do something that'll hurt that friendship."

  "Why don't we just play everything by ear," I said, remembering my earlier conversation with Chloe. And then I couldn't help myself; I reached up with my free hand to stroke his cheek. I wanted to comfort him. I wanted to touch him. And with my trembling fingers, I caressed his silky face..

  Don's breath caught, his eyes flaming at my touch. He covered my fingers with his, molding mine around his features. He shut his eyes, leaned slightly into our hands, and took a deep breath before looking at me again. He seemed unwilling to, but eventually, let his fall from mine. I gently slid my hand down his cheek until the tips of my fingernails grazed his jaw and then dropped itinto my lap.

  "That sounds good to me," he whispered.

  What was he talking about? I had to quickly think back at what I'd just said.

  Right, playing it by ear.

  I smiled at him and nodded.

  He reached up and stroked my cheek again. "But I think we should take things slowly."

  I started marveling how strong my reactions were to him. I wanted to put my hand on top of his like he'd just done. The need to touch him grew stronger, and I knew I'd have to be more aware of my actions if we were going to be taking things slowly.

  "Slowly works for me."

  He moved his hand across my cheek to beside my ear and then slowly slid it down my jaw before dropping it from my face. He finally unlocked me from his gaze, looking down at my hand that he'd been holding all evening. "Slowly," he murmured, but it seemed like he was directing that to himself, rather than to me.

  "It's getting dark. We should probably get going."

  At my nod, he released my hand and picked up the platter to put it in the basket.

  Then he hesitated and put it right in front of me. "Would you like some more before I put this away?"

  I grabbed a couple of the mints, and he put the platter in the basket along with the rest of the stuff..

  Don picked up everything while we stood up, and we headed to his car. After we got on the main road, he reached over to grasp my fingers again.

  The ride to my house was pleasant. I glanced at him often, and I could feel him glancing at me, too. We were both smiling, and every now and then, he'd rub his thumb on my skin, making me smile wider.

  Suddenly, I considered what might happen once we got back to my house. I was surprised I hadn't thought about this possibility when I was thinking about all those previously forbidden possibilities. Was Don going to kiss me tonight? I felt new nerves in the pit of my stomach and was immediately pleased I'd eaten a couple of those mints!

  He walked me to my porch. This walk seemed to take forever, yet it was over

  way too quickly.

  Once we were standing in front of the door, I looked at him. His eyes were gentle, and I feared my eyes were panicked. Luckily, I didn't see that reflection in his.

  "I've had a lovely time with you tonight," he whispered.

  "Thank you. It was better than I could've ever imagined." Could he see my body trembling?

  "Me, too." He smiled, looked down, and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Umm . . . about tomorrow, what time would you like for me to pick you up?" He watched my eyes for my response. It felt like he was stalling, which was fine with me.

  "It doesn't matter." I shrugged. "I don't have to work, so I'm pretty much free all

  day."

  He glanced down and nodded before looking back at me. "Well, how about ten

  o'clock?"

  "That works for me."

  He pulled his hands out of his pockets. "Thank you, again, for tonight I mean."

  I was unable to respond, so I quirked my lips into a shy smile and rested my palm on his chest. That was a mistake. Now I could feel how hard his heart was beating, crashing into my hand. I watched as his gentle eyes turned intense at my touch, and he stepped closer, sliding his fingers onto my cheek. He tilted my head up and placed his arm around my lower back, pulling me tighter against him while he leaned his head down toward me. He gently placed his cheek against
mine, holding my face against his.

  "I can do this slowly," he breathed.

  My breathing came much too fast and shallow. I started to feel faint, so I put my free hand around his back to stabilize myself. I didn't want anything embarrassing to ruin the moment.

  When I slid my palm up from his chest to his neck, his breathing became ragged, and I was a goner. If he let go, I'd seriously crumble. I wasn't sure how much longer my heart could stand this.

  "Season," he breathed like he was in disbelief I was actually in his arms. Then he slowly brushed his lips down my cheekbone. A shiver went up my spine, and I felt his knees buckle slightly—I wasn't the only one fighting weakness. He stopped in the middle of my cheek and kissed me there, then leaned his forehead against mine.

  We stood there for several seconds feeling each other's heart beating and listening to our breaths returning to a normal pace. And I knew he was trying to maintain his hold on the whole going slowly concept.

  He stepped back and took both my hands into his. "I'll see you tomorrow." He leaned in and kissed my forehead before letting go of me and walking to his car.

  Once he was seated, I could see his face again. He had a glow that I'd never seen before tonight, a glow I was sure I shared.

  I turned to walk into the house, inhaling his lingering scent. This was a night I'd never forget.

  Chapter 8

  "Hey, Season," I heard someone call to me as I walked into the house, and I knew it wasn't Melissa or Chloe. It took me a moment to register the voice.

  "Laurel? What are you doing here?"

  "Wow. You look great!" she responded, ignoring my question. "What's the occasion?"

  "Er, I had a date. You didn't tell me what you're doing here. Don't you have classes?"

  "Yeah, but they don't start for another week, so Melissa decided we're all going to the beach. I came on up to pack."

  Vacation? What? Why now? Don was just gone a whole week, and now I was going to be out of town. I didn't like the sound of this, and the expression on my face did not hide my irritation.

  "What's wrong? Don't you want to go on vacation?"

  "Um, I have to work." That was true, too, but not my main concern. "No, you don't. Melissa called the store and cleared your schedule." Great.

  "So who did you go out with tonight?" she asked with a smirk. "Don."

  Her smirk disappeared as her jaw dropped. "Don . . . Don Davis? Are you kidding me?"

  I smiled and raised my eyebrows.

  "No freaking way! How did you manage that?" I know she was just curious, but her question was a little insulting.

  "He just called me up and asked me out. We're going out again tomorrow." Now I was trying to hide a smirk.

  "Wow. Do you mean like on a date date? I mean, I know you two are friends." "It was a real date tonight and will be a real date tomorrow." I tried not to get

  irritated. I'd probably have to get used to this type of reaction until everyone found out Don and I were dating. Don and I dating . . . swoon . . . I'd have to get used to that idea myself.

  "What did you two do tonight?" Her voice was thick with shock. Or was that

  envy?

  "He took me out to eat, and tomorrow he's taking me to a botanical garden."

  "Oh, that'll be nice." She looked away from me. Oh yeah, it was probably envy.

  And I smiled a little at that thought.

  "Well, I'm beat. I'll see you tomorrow." I made my way to the stairs. "Okay, goodnight," she said with zero enthusiasm. Yep, definitely envy.

  After brushing my teeth and changing into my pj's, I called Chloe to tell her about my date.

  She sat quietly on the other end while I gave her a play-by-play of the entire evening. She ohhed and awwed at the appropriate intervals until I was finished.

  "You think tomorrow he'll kiss you on your lips?"

  "Don't know. We're taking things slowly. Judging from his reactions tonight, though, I don't think he really wants to, but he's trying to be a gentleman about it. Honestly, tonight couldn't have been more perfect if he had. It'll happen when it's meant to be."

  "Not to change the subject, but I have a date coming up, too." "Really? Who's the guy?"

  "This hottie named Zach. I met him at the park when I was there with Kim today. Of course she flirted with him like she didn't already have a boyfriend, but he paid her no attention." She giggled.

  "Chloe, that's great. When are you going out?"

  "Tomorrow night. They're playing a movie at the old ball field. If we hit it off, we'll be free to talk and get to know each other; if not, it'll occupy our attention and keep us from having to talk."

  "Great idea. Maybe we can double sometime if you two click." "Ah, that sounds like fun!"

  "I'm glad you've found someone new to date," I said, knowing this gave me an opportunity to break the news to her about Chrys. "I talked to Chrys, and he is involved with someone."

  "Oh, that's okay. Thanks for checking. Anyway, have fun tomorrow. I plan to." Yeah, I did, too.

  * * *

  I woke up Saturday morning from a heavenly slumber. I slept so well that I didn't even remember any of my dreams; though, I was sure I had them. And with how bizarre they'd been this summer, there was no telling what they could have been about last night.

  I got out of bed, showered, and rummaged around in my closet for the perfect outfit. Since this would be a daytime date, I figured I should dress casually. Definitely no heels if we were to be walking around a garden. I selected a pale-colored, floral skirt with a nude top and espadrille sandals. I towel dried my hair and combed through it, leaving it wet while I went downstairs to eat breakfast.

  Laurel was already sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal, so I chatted with her while I grabbed some, too.

  "How do you like your new job?"

  "Oh, it's great. Kinda slow at times, but it's easy work." "How well do you get along with the Gorge family?" Odd question. "We get along fine."

  "When you said you went on a date last night, I thought that maybe you were going to say you went out with that boy, Chrys."

  "Why would you think that? I didn't even know you knew of Chrys or the Gorge family."

  "Word gets around. The Gorges are ridiculously rich." "But why would you think I'd go out with Chrys?"

  "It seemed logical. I assumed you just met him, and you're working with him.

  Sometimes people who work together play together."

  "Ah, well, no. I mean we did go out after my first day on the job, but it wasn't like that."

  Laurel perked up. "You did?"

  "I said it wasn't like that." I didn't want to tell her why I went out with him.

  Especially without getting more information from Chrys about his family and more information about my mom. "He's just a friend, and really, he's not even that. He's just a co-worker."

  She stood up, rinsed her dishes, and put them in the dishwasher. "Well, I hope you have fun today. Don't forget to pack for our trip."

  After I finished my breakfast, I headed upstairs to get ready. I opened my window to feel what the weather was like, and it was already hot and humid. Not good. I couldn't straighten my hair today; it'd just end up a frizzy mess before the day was over. I decided to put some pomade in it and scrunch it while drying it. I preferred soft, touchable hair, but I'd have to make due—I'd rather it be hard and nice, than soft and a fuzzy mess.

  After I got ready, I still had time to kill, so I pulled out my suitcase and packed for our trip. Thankfully, packing burned up that last hour because I heard the already- familiar three soft knocks at the door as I dragged my suitcase down the stairs.

  "I'll get it," I yelled to Laurel, not knowing where she was exactly.

  I dabbed my head to make sure I wasn't sweating from lugging the suitcase around and was pleased—and shocked—to find it dry.

  I put my hand on the door, took a deep breath to steady myself, and opened it.

  Don beamed a breathtaking smile and hande
d me the roses he had hanging by his side. "You left these in my car last night. It hurt my feelings that you ran off and left them," he teased.

  "I'm terribly sorry," I teased back. "I had a lot on my mind. Would you like to come in for a minute while I put these in some water?"

  "Sure."

  As we walked into the kitchen together, I saw Laurel getting a soda. "Hey kids." She smirked, but she was only two years older than Don. "Hi, Laurel. It's good to see you again."

  I turned to fill the vase with water, and then I arranged the flowers. Once they were beautifully displayed, I sat them on the table next to the other flowers he'd given me.

  "More flowers?" Laurel asked, and her tone was slightly irritated.

  "Not technically, these were from last night, too. I left them in his car." Not wanting to stick around for more conversations with Laurel, I grabbed Don's hand and started to pull him out of the kitchen. "Anyway, I'm all packed. My suitcase is by the stairs. See you later."

  I glanced at Don as we walked out the front door. He looked amused that I was leading the way instead of him. But once we were in his car and on the road, his joyous persona faltered.

  "What kind of trip are you taking?" he asked casually.

  "We're going to the beach next week. Kind of a last minute thing." "Oh." His brow furrowed.

  "Don't worry. I'm coming back." I snickered.

  His eyes flashed to mine. "You'd better," he said, matching my tone.

  I chuckled. It was getting easier being with him, which was good—more than

  good.

  Don smiled and reached for my hand. His hand grazed my bare leg, and my

  heart raced. His touch was so soft that I wished he'd forget about what he was obviously trying to do and just put his on my knee instead. I glanced at him as he moved our joined hands to the middle of our seats, and as he did, I saw him shift uneasily. He didn't anticipate touching my bare leg, and it was obvious to me that he enjoyed it. He took a deep breath but tried concealing his heavy exhale by clearing his throat. He glanced out his side window before turning his eyes back to the road. At the next stop sign, he took his palm off the steering wheel and ran it through his hair in a nervous gesture.