by Kathryn Shay
“I drowned my sorrows in booze and drugs. That’s why I left Hollywood. I’d hit bottom. But eventually I did find a way to manage it.”
Hayley nodded. “With therapy, you said.”
“Yeah. It took a long time, though.” He frowned. “Do you think you two need to talk to someone?”
“If I do,” Hayley said, “I will.”
“Me, too.” This from Finn. “But I got over many of the effects of being raised by Bridget when Millie came into my life.”
“One more thing. I attended dinner because I wanted to see Hayley and you that one night, but I can’t have any more contact with Bridget now. Don’t let my situation stop you two, though.”
Finn’s green eyes flared fire. “I hope I don’t lay eyes on her for a long time.”
“Me, too. Now, let’s have drinks and the light supper we prepared.” Hayley stood and kissed Ronan’s cheek. “I love you, Ronan.”
He stood with her. “I love you too, honey.”
Finn went to them. “Same here,” he said, all male about it.
Ronan moved in closer and hugged him. “Back at ya.”
* * *
Eliza took Ronan’s car while he rode his motorcycle over to the Casella family dinner. She’d head there after her breakfast with Lisel. Waiting at DeLuca’s Diner, a hotspot in Hidden Cove, she observed the people seated around the room. They appeared happier, more at peace, unhurried in comparison to New Yorkers. It was a refreshing change.
“Hi, Lisel,” she said when her new friend arrived and approached her. “Thanks for meeting me.”
“Since you let me pick the time, I should thank you.” She sat with the gracefulness of a dancer.
“You could get away from your family?”
“Yes.” Lisel eyed her. “Do you know about Ian?”
“I do. And I’m sorry he’s confined to a wheelchair.”
“We all are. But we do okay with it. He’s with Evie, our ten-year-old. Noah and Eve took Liam to play with his cousin. We moved next door to them.”
“I love that about Hidden Cove. Families buying houses close by.”
“I do, too. A long way away from New York.”
“So, are you a stay-at-home mom?”
“I am. I do as much volunteer work as I can, especially at Hale’s Haven.”
“The camp for kids of slain firefighters and police officers. I’ve heard about it.”
“Yes, it’s a wonderful endeavor but takes a lot of planning and execution. They’ll be opening soon so workers are needed already.” She smiled. “Like you.”
“I’ll ask Ronan about it.”
“So, tell me about your family.”
They ordered coffee and both sipped the dark, rich brew. “Wow, that tastes great.” Eliza set the cup down. “I have a seventeen-year-old daughter, Taylor. She’s a ballerina.”
A dark expression flitted across Lisel’s face though she said pleasantly, “Evie’s taking jazz, tap and modern dance. The apples don’t fall far from the trees.”
“I didn’t push her into this, but I couldn’t interfere with her choices.”
“We’re on the same page about that. Your husband?”
“I’m divorced. Not amicably, by the way. Taylor and I have lived without him for nearly five years now. He has a new family.”
The waitress appeared and they ordered breakfast. Lisel chuckled. “We both got dancers’ meals: protein and fruit, no
sweets or potatoes.”
“After all these years, I still eat this way, but I do splurge sometimes. I saw some gooey, chocolate pastries in the show cabinet.”
“I could do that. About your divorce. Should I be sorry?”
“Not at all. I’m glad for that to be over. I didn’t like the person I was—had to be—when I was with him.”
“So, you’re here with Ronan.”
“I am. I moved up for the summer. We’re friends, Lisel.” For now. She still hadn’t acted on his friends-with-benefits proposal. She was afraid she’d either get too involved and she’d lose him in the process. Or he’d tire of her and she wouldn’t be able to be friends with him. “We worked together in New York for most of those five years. But he was ready to pack all that in and come to Hidden Cove for a year.”
“I heard about My Sweet Caroline. The play has several ballet scenes.”
“I came up to meet with the writer and he talked me into staying on and doing the choreography for it.”
“Sounds exciting.”
“Do you miss that world?”
“Sometimes, of course. But I love, love my life as it is.”
Their meals arrived—cheesy artichoke omelet for her, and quiche for Lisel, along with seasonal berries. In between bites, Lisel asked her about yoga.
“My replacement for dance. You?”
“Same. I love The Yoga Institute.”
After they finished breakfast, they drank more coffee. Talked about their kids. Their lives now.
“I’d like you and Ronan to come for dinner soon. I’ll invite Eve and Noah.”
“Noah is your sister-in-law’s husband?”
“Uh-huh. Former fire chief.” Her crystalline eyes danced. “Want some juicy gossip about Hidden Cove?”
“Of course.”
“It’s okay to tell this, as I tease them all the time. Eve worked as an investigator from the Office of Fire Prevention and Control in Albany. She came to Hidden Cove to investigate bogus claims of corruption of the fire department and specifically Noah.”
“How on earth did they get together?”
“It was messy, Ian told me. But nothing could keep them apart. He was innocent anyway, and had an enemy who was framing him. True love won out.”
For a moment, a pang of longing shot through Eliza. She’d never had true love. Now, at forty-three, she probably wouldn’t.
They paid the bill and left the restaurant together. Hugged outside. Lisel said, “I’m glad we had this time together.”
“We’ll do it again.”
“And dinner?”
“I’ll ask Ronan, but he’ll probably want to.”
“I hope so.”
Eliza got in his car and headed out to the Casella home. Her mood dulled when she thought of Ronan telling his aunt and cousins about Bridget. She hoped it hadn’t been as hard as telling Hayley and Finn.
* * *
Julianne, Kate, Ali and Seth cried over Ronan’s revelation. Gideon remained stoic, but Rafe shed a few tears. He couldn’t read Aunt Carmella. Drained now, he sat back in his chair. “I hope this doesn’t ruin the rest of the day, the family dinner.”
“It won’t,” Carmella told him. “I’m so sorry this happened to you, Ronan. They all betrayed you.”
“They did. Which is why I vanished without a trace.”
“Not quite,” Seth put in. “I was a kid and watched all of your Rebel movies.”
“Several times.” Julianne grinned. “I saw them with him.”
“I think we all caught them.” This from Rafe, who he’d been closest to. “You were quite a bad boy, on screen and off from what I read.”
“Guilty of both. But no more. I came to Hidden Cove to put all that behind me.”
“Have you seen Bridget?” Ali asked. He noticed Derek had slid his arm around her and held on tight.
“I’m afraid so. She came to Hidden Cove to see me. Stopped at the lake, then visited the playhouse when I was there.” He blew out a heavy breath. “I told her I didn’t want to see her again.”
Carmella, bless her heart, took over. She stood. “Well, I think we’re done with this part of the day. Seth, open a bottle of wine and get some beer.” She crossed to Ronan. Hugged him. “I love you, Ronan. You’re like another son to me.”
Damned if his eyes didn’t get misty. “Thanks, Carmella.”
She stepped back. “What time is your friend coming over?”
He checked his watch. “Anytime.”
She turned to Gideon, who was opening up one of th
e bottles Seth had brought to the table. “Anabelle?”
“The same.”
“Did somebody mention Anabelle’s name?” Carina, Gideon’s oldest, had come up from the basement. She’d had a tough time, earlier in the year, but she was happier these days. Now, her eyes danced with mischief.
“Yes, dear. She’s joining us again.” Carmella raised her brow to Julianne.
“I’m very close to her,” Julianne added.
The young woman gave a disgusted sound. And laser beamed her father. “I think maybe it’s time you two came out of the closet.”
Gideon’s face blanked.
“You’re involved with her, Daddy.”
He cleared his throat. “Do Cory and Cassie know?”
“No, and I won’t tell them. But you should, pretty soon. They like her because she plays games with Cassie and does Craft Mission with Cory on the computer.” Carina kissed his cheek, grabbed a coke and left the room.
The others burst out laughing.
Thankfully for Gid, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get that.” He bolted out of the kitchen.
Ronan heard a woman’s voice, then another’s from the foyer. “I found Eliza coming up the walk.” Must be Anabelle.
“Hey, Eliza. We haven’t met. I’m Gideon.”
Ronan walked out to the foyer and touched Eliza’s arm. “How was breakfast?”
“Fun. How, um, did your morning go?”
“As well as can be expected. Come on out to the kitchen and meet everyone.”
“We’ll be right there.” Gideon pulled Anabelle into the living room, probably to tell her the closet door had been opened.
Eliza accepted a glass of wine and joined them at the table. She got along well, engaging the women, talking to his male cousins. Ronan watched her surreptitiously. She wore a matching slate-blue blouse and pants, the top a gauzy material, but still hugged her curves. He’d thought about those curves a lot lately. Was she ever going to give him an answer to his suggestion that they take their relationship to the next level?
Dinner was a boisterous affair, making Ronan remember meals here in the past when all he wanted was to have a family like them. The kids were happy to meet Ronan, and Carina was thrilled to meet Eliza. The little ones were adorable, dragging Anabelle off to play with them. Ronan fought to enjoy the day and not let the past intrude. It was hard, but he blocked the memories out.
* * *
“Did you have a good day?” Ronan asked as they walked into the lake house at seven.
“I did.” Eliza studied him. His face was lined with fatigue, but his beautiful blue eyes were no longer haunted. “The question is how you held up. You had to tell that awful story twice in one week.”
In the kitchen, they got bottles of water from the fridge and went into the living room where they sat in front of the wide expanse of windows on a very comfortable couch. They could see the lake lapping up frothy waves on the shore.
“I think telling Hayley and Finn, then my cousins at the Casella house was cathartic. Everything that’s happened to me since I moved here has been.”
“Even your encounter with Bridget?”
“Yeah, in some ways. Maybe she’ll fade away into the Hampton summer scene and leave me alone.”
“I hope so.” She reached out and grasped his free hand. “We start casting tomorrow.”
“Yes, we do. Not the main dancer yet, but some of the major characters have to be able to dance.”
“Like you did.”
He chuckled. “Hell of a thing, wasn’t it? I fell right into the Bludgeon songs.”
She could still see him, not only keeping up like some leads did, but executing her choreography perfectly. He had women swooning in the audience for him. That incident made her think of the five years they’d been together, how much she cared about him and he for her. She’d also been thinking about the spurts of attraction, the feelings of arousal she’d had more than one time.
“Well,” she put in. “Rebel had dancing parts, like John Travolta’s character in the Fever films.”
“Thankfully, I didn’t have to do disco.”
They sat in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. And Eliza’s settled on one thing. Eventually, she got up and turned on the house’s sound system. Soft rock filled the air.
He looked at her questioningly.
“Let’s dance, Ronan.”
“Have we ever danced together?”
“Of course, at some of the events we had to go to and play nice with the investors.”
“That’s a blur to me but I do remember that I hated the events. Not dancing with you, though.”
She took him by the hand and tugged him up.
He drew her close. His body felt big and powerful. He was only about four inches taller, as she had a ballerina’s build, but he kept in shape at the gym on the ground floor in order to take on the hard work of directing. His muscles were toned and firm. His hand at her back was solid. The feel of him encompassed her and when she nosed into his chest, his scent filled her head. They moved slowly, and her desire heightened. Soon she was filled with it.
After the song ended, he stepped back and turned off the music. “Any more of that, sweetheart, and I’m not going to be able to walk, let alone dance.”
She cocked her head.
His brows raised. “Did you decide?”
“Somewhere along the way this week, the decision just made itself. Watching you be so strong, yet sensitive with your family.” She said in a whisper, “Are you that kind of lover, Ronan?”
He yanked her to him. “I can be.” In her ear he practically growled, “But I can be an animal, too. What do you like, Liza?”
“Why don’t you show me both.”
He didn’t waste time, just pulled her towards the bedroom.
Eliza went willingly.
Despite the fact that he’d cleared his stuff out, his master suite was still masculine. Dark brown sheets, with a window-paned brown duvet, curtains in dark beige, with blinds behind them. He started to undress her in front of those blinds. His hand fumbled with the buttons of her blouse. She stayed them. “Are you nervous, Ronan?”
“Edgy. Aren’t you?”
“No.” She smiled. “We know everything about each other. Seen each other in swimsuits. Just enjoy this step.”
He kissed her nose. Finished unbuttoning the blouse but didn’t take it off. Leaning in, he sniffed her. “I love your scent. Roses, right?”
“Estee Lauder lotion, except on special occasions when I—oh God,” she uttered when his soft lips swept across her chest, making her shiver. He cradled her breasts, then rested her forehead against his. She whispered, “Dancers aren’t very big there.”
“You’re perfect.” He flicked open the front closure of her bra. “See, enough to spill into my hands.”
She started to laugh, then moaned instead as he took a nipple into his mouth. “Ronan…”
Mischievously, he looked up. “You like?”
“I like.”
He treated the other one to the same. She bucked again.
When he went to unsnap her pants, she said, “Nope. No more. I can’t…I won’t…damn, take off your clothes and I’ll take off mine.”
With a smug expression on his face, he kicked off his shoes, ripped off his chinos and shirt. She let her blouse and bra slide off her shoulders, pushed down her pants and briefs. They stood gloriously naked before each other. Now his expression was full of awe.
She’s so beautiful, Ronan thought as he studied her slender shoulders, pert breasts, a narrow waist and hips, the curls at the juncture of her thighs, and legs that went on forever. He saw her perusing him in kind. They closed the distance between them. Skin met skin, top to bottom, and the silky feel of her made him even harder.
They sighed together, then he drew down the covers and stepped aside so she could climb in. Before he joined her, he got something out of the nightstand. Protection.
They faced each other on the bed. He brushed his lips against hers, back and forth, back and forth. She tasted like the peppermint gum she’d chewed on the way home. She grasped his nape to draw him in, as she deepened the kiss. On and on it went. His tongue opened her mouth and she explored his, too. That continued until she started squirming. “As much as I love this, I can’t wait much longer.”
“Funny thing, me either.” Gently, she eased her onto her back and stretched out his body over hers.
“Hmm, I never pegged you for the missionary position.”
“Just wait, woman.” He straddled her then, and cradled his body close to her. It was an intimate gesture that he luxuriated in. She got edgy, though, so he said softly, “Now, see what happens.” He lifted one leg over his shoulder.
“Ah. The whole angle changed.”
“It did.”
He moved his hand down because her entire groin area was exposed to him. He pressed her, circled his palm, slid one finger into her.
“Come inside me,” she pleaded.
Grasping her hips, he pushed into her. Further. As far as he could go. Her muscles clenched around his. Then he leaned over again and cradled her body. He was too close to coming. “Give me a sec.”
Loving the feel of him against her, in her, Eliza waited. His back was slicked with sweat and he was trying to even out his breathing. When he was ready, he sat up and began to thrust once more. He could see her face this way as she came.
She started to spiral. He kept thrusting, and as soon as her spasms began, he let go. Rockets went off in his head as release shuddered through his whole body. The bed shook as he pumped into her.
Afterward, he eased down her leg gently and cradled her body again. Eliza held on tight, luxuriating in the intimacy of the moment. Her orgasm had been the most intense one she’d ever had. The intimacy of making love with Ronan had never happened to her with anyone else. Briefly, fear intruded. But she pushed it away.
When he could, Ronan braced his arms on the sides of her and peered down at her with glistening eyes. “Good?”
“Fantastic.”
“You?”
“Otherworldly.”
He pulled out slowly, sending shockwaves through her body, especially when he cupped her and pressed again. “Oh, God.”
