[Second Chances 02]California Dreams

by Morris Fenris

  Samuel laughed, looking up and then frowning when he realized she had opened the door unaccompanied. “Daniella, where’s mommy or Aunt Jane?”

  She shrugged, “I don’t know. Want to play dress-up?” She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the house, and he took another look at her. She was dressed in normal little girl clothes, with a few added accessories to complete the princess look. Tiara on her head – check. Tutu pulled on over her shorts – check. Feather boa wrapped around her neck and trailing to the floor behind her – check. Plastic heels complete with jewels and feathers – check. One princess ready to play!

  Samuel let himself be led down the hallway, trying not to chuckle as Daniella shuffled her feet rather than stepped. She was trying very hard to keep her feet in the plastic dress-up shoes, but they were too big for her tiny feet and she pushed herself along in them, sliding with the front of each foot.

  “Daniella, you better not have opened that door!” came a voice from his left.

  He stopped his progression down the hall and looked at the little girl, hiding his grin when she frowned and then took on a mulish expression.

  Grace came from a doorway further down the hallway, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel, and stopped short when she saw Samuel standing there. “Hi,” she offered before turning her attention to her daughter. Placing her hands upon her hips, she stared her down, waiting until Daniella dropped her eyes and let her shoulders sag. “How many times have I told you not to answer the door without me? Huh?”

  “Bunches,” came the mumbled reply. But then Daniella lifted her head, a sneaky grin on her face when she said, “But Princess Daniella doesn’t need anyone with her. She’s in charge and tells everyone else what to do. If there had been a stranger at the door, momma, I would have just told them to go away!” She smiled at her mother, completely confident that her answer was a viable solution.

  “Not good enough, young lady! Why don’t you go to your bedroom until dinner’s ready and then we’ll discuss this some more.” Grace emphasized the command by pointing a finger down the hallway.

  Samuel watched as the little girl dropped her shoulders, but did as her mother had asked. Turning back to Grace, he told her, “Sorry. I wasn’t going to come in, but before I knew it, she was pulling on my hand and talking about dressing me up. She mentioned earrings and necklaces. Please tell me she wasn’t planning on piercing my ears?”

  Grace laughed, “No. She has a dress-up set that comes complete with its own version of royal bling. Plastic clip-on earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Oh, and let’s not forget the tiaras. You would most definitely be getting a tiara to wear.” She laughed at the pained look Samuel gave her, laughing even harder when he reached up and covered his earlobes with his hands.

  “I think I’m glad you rescued me.” Plastic clip-on earrings? Sounded more like a torture kit than playing dress-up!

  “Just be glad she wasn’t in doctor mode today. She would have had you lying on the floor, wrapped in makeshift bandages, and giving you shots.”

  Samuel shifted his feet uncomfortably, “I think maybe I should get Jane and we should get out of here before your daughter comes out of her room.”

  Grace laughed, knowing that if Daniella had wanted to play doctor, Samuel would have played along and been her willing patient. The man had already shown an immense amount of patience with the small child, answering her multitude of questions with clear and concise answers. Grace had been amazed the first time she met him that he seemed so at ease with Daniella – having no children of his own on which to practice.

  On the trip to Montana, she had asked him about that and he had told her he planned on settling down and having his own children, he just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. After watching him interact with Jane the last several days, Grace was hoping that maybe they would stop ignoring their feelings and just get on with the business of moving forward with their lives. Together!

  “Come this way, Jane’s out back in the garden. When she found me making pizza for Daniella and my dinner, she insisted on helping by making a pesto sauce for the crust. She is currently out in the back garden harvesting some more basil.”

  Jane stepped back inside the house as Grace led Samuel into the kitchen. Glancing up, she blushed and looked at the clock, “Sorry. I didn’t realize what time it was.”

  “No worries. I’m early. Finish what you’re doing and I’ll wait.” Samuel sat on one of the stools at the breakfast bar and watched as the women went back to work.

  Jane efficiently cut up the basil before placing it in the blender along with some salt, olive oil, and crushed garlic. After grinding it up a bit, she tasted it and then added a little more salt before declaring it finished.

  Grace took her own taste, closing her eyes and moaning in pleasure. Offering a taste to Samuel, she told Jane, “That is the best thing to come out of that garden in…forever. I’m keeping you. Trent and Sara are just going to have to deal with it!”

  Jane laughed, watching Samuel’s reaction out of the corner of her eye. He savored the taste and then he smiled, lighting up her world! “That was simply amazing! Really, Jane – that was really good!”

  “Thanks.” Jane tried not to blush, but didn’t manage it very well. It wasn’t that she didn’t receive compliments on her cooking all the time; she did. It had more to do with who was doing the complimenting. Hearing praise about her culinary skills come from Samuel was special and she hoped to hear more of the same in the days to come.

  Wiping her hands on a towel, she told him, “If you’ll let me grab my purse, I’m ready to go.”

  “Grab a lightweight jacket. The breeze gets a little chilly coming off the water once the sun goes down.”

  “Oh! I hadn’t thought of that. Okay, I’ll grab a sweater. Be right back.”

  Samuel watched her walk away before turning back to see Grace watching him. “What?”

  “You really like her, huh?”

  Samuel nodded, “Yeah! It shows, huh?”

  “Yeah, but only to someone who’s looking or has been around both of you for a while. I think she really likes you back, just so you know.”

  Samuel grinned, answering her hurriedly as Jane came back in the room, “I hope so.” Looking at Jane, he asked, “All set?”

  Jane nodded, excitement at the evening ahead energizing her, “More than you know.”

  “Good. Grace, I’ll bring her back before midnight; that is if she can stay awake that long.”

  “Oh, that reminds me.” Grace reached into a basket behind her and withdrew a keychain with a single silver key attached. “Here’s a key for the front door. I’ll probably put Daniella down around 8 o’clock and then head to bed myself. I have a planning meeting in the morning that I wasn’t planning on attending, but since we’re back, it will save everyone a lot of time if I show up in person, rather than texting or emailing back and forth several hundred times.”

  “Okay. Do you want me to stay with Daniella while you’re gone?”

  “You don’t have to…” Grace started to answer, only to be cut off by Jane.

  “Nonsense. I’m here. Besides, I understand there was a dress-up party and I missed it.” She smiled at Grace, letting her know that she really didn’t mind keeping Daniella company.

  “Well, fine. I’ll plan on leaving her here with you. I should only be a few hours and then maybe we can tackle something on your list. We have to go meet her new preschool teacher sometime tomorrow, but that shouldn’t take very long.”

  “List?” Samuel asked, wondering what kind of list Jane could already have. She just arrived!

  “Jane’s made a list of all the things she wants to see or do while she’s in California. I believe the top item on the list was seeing the ocean. So what are you two still doing standing here? Go.” Grace shooed them with her hands back into the hallway, “Go help her mark that item off her list.”

  Samuel grabbed Jane by the hand and pulled her towards the front door, “You heard her. Let
’s go.” He pulled her towards his vehicle, a SUV painted bright yellow with the top taken down and Jane felt her excitement build. I’m going to see the ocean!

  Chapter 9

  Samuel took the inland road to his house, making sure he kept her distracted so that she didn’t accidentally catch of glimpse of the ocean until they were almost to his driveway. Stopping the vehicle at the top of the hill, he parked with the nose of the vehicle facing the ocean and told her, “Look.”

  Following Samuel’s pointing finger, Jane gasped at her first look of the Pacific Ocean. It was huge! That was her first thought, and her second, and her third.

  She looked out across the water and the enormity of just how big the ocean was made itself known. She had looked upon maps and globes all her life, but being faced with the huge body of water for the first time was different. She shivered as she realized how small she felt and wondered if she would be one of those people who panicked the first time they found themselves on a boat, surrounded by nothing but miles upon miles of water – around and beneath them.

  “It’s pretty amazing, huh?”

  “I’m overwhelmed. It just seems so big.”

  Samuel started up the vehicle again, making the last little drive to his bungalow before cutting the engine. “Let’s go see it up close and personal.”

  Jane almost toppled from the seat as she hurried to exit the vehicle. Only Samuel’s strong arms kept her from hitting the ground with her face. “Thanks,” she told him quietly, not wanting to analyze the feelings his hands upon her arms had started up.

  Jane could hear the excited barking of a dog and raised her eyebrow at Samuel.

  “Lucky heard the vehicle pull up. You’re not afraid of dogs, are you?”

  Jane shook her head, “No, in fact, I always wanted a dog, but my sister’s allergic to them. When I went to live with them, that dream kind of faded away.”

  “Brace yourself,” Samuel told her before opening the front door. He tried to stop her, but Lucky had heard the voice of a stranger and was insistent on performing her doggy greeting duties. She pushed past him, a blur of yellow fur and thumping tail, to push against Jane’s legs as she was circled several times.

  When Lucky stopped her circling, she lay down and presented her tummy for a quick rub. Jane laughed at the dog, but readily complied, “You’re a good girl, aren’t you?”

  Samuel watched Jane interact with Lucky and hoped that in the coming days, he would see more interaction along the same lines. “Lucky, where’s your stick?”

  Lucky bounded to her feet and tore off around the side of the house, returning seconds later with a stick around three feet in length, and missing all of its bark. “Good girl.” Lucky barked twice and then took off down a dirt path next to the house.

  “Where’s she going?” Jane asked, expecting the dog to come back.

  “The beach. Leave your purse on that chair and follow me. She won’t be content until I throw her stick for her a half dozen times.”

  Samuel led the way down the dirt path that ended up, a hundred yards later, on the sand of the beach. Jane walked towards the rolling surf; stopping just short of getting her feet wet and watched the waves roll in.

  Samuel tossed the stick for his dog and then joined her at the water’s edge. “Take your sandals off and we’ll take a walk. You might want to roll your pant legs up a little higher as well.”

  Samuel did the same, tossing his sandals up a little higher on the beach so they wouldn’t be swept away. Jane followed suit and then rolled the bottoms of her capris up another two inches.

  Samuel took her hand, after once again throwing the stick down the beach, and started walking slowly with her towards the ocean and swishing her feet through the surf as it rolled in.

  Feeling the sand pulled from beneath her feet each time the waves receded, she laughed, “That feels so weird.”

  Glancing at her, he asked, “The sand being pulled from beneath you?”

  Jane laughed and nodded, “Yes. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

  Samuel chuckled, “Wait until you get out into deeper water. Those waves are strong enough to pull your feet from underneath you.”

  “Uhm, Samuel, I didn’t bring a suit…”

  “Not tonight. The first time you go into the ocean should not be at night. The waves can be pretty disorienting and I want you to be able to see everything, even the ocean floor if you dive beneath the waves.”

  Jane was relieved that she wouldn’t have to give away how much the thought of going into the ocean at night scared her. It was so big, and there were so many creatures living in the water. If she was going to encounter any of them, she wanted to see them coming for her first!

  Samuel watched her shoulders relax and chuckled, “You’re not a fan of the movie JAWS, are you?”

  Jane shook her head, “No. But I do remember seeing it. Thanks for bringing that up. Maybe I’ll just stick to dipping my feet in the water, after all.”

  Samuel laughed, stopping to turn them back around and tossing the stick for Lucky once more, “Don’t worry. Besides, I think that movie was shot on the Atlantic side of the U.S., not on the Pacific side.”

  “Does it matter? Just knowing that there are things out there that wouldn’t mind making a snack of me gives me the shivers.”

  Samuel wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed, “I’ll protect you. Besides, they’re much more afraid of you than you are of them. Promise.”

  Jane tried to look convinced, but at his small laugh, knew immediately she had failed. The ocean was safe! That’s what Samuel had told her. The movies would have her believe differently, but what did she really know beyond the silver screen? Nothing! She’d never been in the ocean so she would trust someone else. If Samuel said swimming in the ocean was safe, she would believe him.

  Chapter 10

  Samuel led Jane back to his bungalow and headed for the kitchen, letting her wander through his front room at her leisure. There was a small gas fireplace against one wall with a few pictures scattered across its top.

  After getting the salmon in the oven, he started tossing a salad, watching her as he was able; she picked up each picture and looked at it for several seconds before replacing it and moving to the next one.

  When she came to the last healthy picture of his mother and he, she turned and caught him staring at her. Indicating the picture, she asked, “Your mom?”

  Samuel nodded, for once not feeling the familiar tightness fill his chest when asked to speak about his mother. “That was taken a few months before we found out she was sick. I was on summer break and we drove along Route 1 heading north.”

  Jane replaced the picture and asked, “Where were you headed?”

  Samuel shrugged his shoulders, “That was the beautiful part about it. We didn’t have a destination in mind. We took 2 weeks and decided to see how far we could get in the first week and then head back home.”

  “Where was your dad?” Jane asked.

  “Working, just like always.” Samuel smiled at her, “What’s with all of these questions?”

  Jane shrugged, taking a seat at the table in the small dining nook, “Well, I figure you know all kinds of things about me via Trent. I really don’t know that much about you.”

  Samuel finished the salad, wrapped the loaf of bread in foil and placed it in the oven to warm up and set the timer for the salmon.

  Jane watched and then commented, “I’m very jealous of your kitchen. Double ovens. Is that a warming drawer?”

  “Yes. When I bought this place, I renovated it before I moved in. I love to cook and decided that I may as well put everything I could possibly ever want in it the first time.”

  Jane couldn’t sit still any longer and began to wander around the large space, opening drawers, oohing and aahing when she found something she liked. “You know there are people out there that would kill for a kitchen like this.”

  Samuel smirked, “Even you? I must remind you I am a federal o
fficer and anything you say can, and will, be used against you.”

  Jane turned, hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at him, “Did you just read me my Miranda Rights?”

  Samuel mimicked her stance, asking, “Did you just threatened to kill me over my kitchen?”

  They stared at each for several moments, trying hard to keep their stern expressions upon their faces. Jane’s started to crack, but she was able to firm her lips and hold on. Samuel wasn’t as skilled and lost it after two minutes, leaning over to place his hands on his knees as he laughed, “Sorry. “

  Jane laughed along with him and then turned to the oven. The timer hadn’t gone off yet, but she opened the door anyway. “This looks like it might be finished,” she told him, glancing over her shoulder.

  “There are hot pads in the drawer to your left.” Samuel grabbed another padded towel to cover the counter where she sat the cooking pan and foil wrapped bread moments later.

  Opening the fridge, he began to search for the tartar sauce, cringing when he realized he had used it all the last time he had fish. Shutting the door, he apologized, “Sorry. It looks like I’m out of tartar sauce.”

  He looked so upset; Jane patted him on the shoulder. “Not to worry. I can make some if you’d like.”

  Samuel looked at her and smiled, “You know how to make tartar sauce?”

  “Sure. It’s actually pretty easy. Let me see if you have the ingredients.” Jane opened the fridge and began removing items: dill relish, mayo, and lemon juice. Placing them on the counter, she opened the cupboard she had surveyed earlier and took down some onion powder as well.

  Grabbing the salt and pepper, she began adding ingredients and then mixed it all together. Dipping her finger in the bowl, she tasted it and then held it out to Samuel to taste as well. Rather than using his own finger, he dipped hers in the bowl and then brought her finger to his mouth.

  “That’s good.” He smirked when she quickly pulled her hand away and wiped it on the nearby towel. A blush stole over her cheeks and he hid his grin at how nervous she had become.