Keeping Cape Summer (A Pelican Pointe novel Book 11)

by Vickie McKeehan

  “I don’t but I like being able to fit into this dress.”

  “What are you, a size 4?”

  “Good guess, but I’d like to be…” She held up a hand. “Let’s not ruin this moment arguing about it. I know you think I’m making a big deal out of this, but…women know their ideal weight and constantly fight to be five pounds lighter.”

  “Why?” He linked her fingers with his. “You’re beautiful just the way you are.”

  She let out a flustered breath. “Look, maybe I’m going through a phase that reeks lack of self-confidence.”

  “Have you…?” His question was interrupted by the waiter who asked for their drink order. “How about a bottle of your best chardonnay?”

  The young waiter nodded. “We have a very nice 2013 from the Sonoma Valley that integrates rich oak with honeysuckle and melon.”

  Simon looked at Gilly. “You’re more the wine expert. How does that sound? Because I’m not even sure what it means.”

  Gilly’s lips curved. “That sounds great.” After the waiter left, she leaned in, “I bet it tastes better than the cheap stuff I usually buy. Why didn’t you order a beer?”

  “Because tonight’s special. It warrants more than a pint.” He glanced around at the other diners. “They all look like they know their wine on a personal level.”

  She giggled. “That’s probably true. What was it you wanted to say before the waiter came?”

  “Have you ever experienced a lack of self-confidence before now?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then why now, with me?”

  Gilly bit her lip. “Good question. Maybe because you’re this put-together military guy who clearly succeeded…”

  Simon shifted in his chair. “Former military guy,” he corrected. “And succeeding meant…I don’t want to talk about this. I’m not sure what that has to do with your obsession about losing weight.”

  “I just wanted to look…perfect for you,” she finally admitted.

  “You couldn’t be any more perfect if I’d conjured you up in a dream. You’re beautiful, a great mother, a caring daughter. You knocked me off my feet that night I walked into the hospital with a bawling baby and I haven’t been the same since.”

  Her cheeks blushed at the praise, so he added, “Not to mention your fried chicken is out of this world.”

  That brought out another belly laugh. “You like my cooking?”

  “All except the spaghetti sauce you torched that first night.”

  “That was your fault.”

  “Hey, I was trying to play referee and keep your son from pummeling my daughter.”

  “They act a lot like siblings, don’t they? Maybe they’ll be best friends one of these days.”

  “Like you used to be with Wally Pierce?”

  “Maybe. Wally was my first major crush.”

  The waiter brought over their bottle of wine, uncorked it, and filled their glasses. “What can I get you this evening for dinner?”

  “Gilly?”

  She traded looks with Simon and changed her order. “I’ll have the filet, cooked medium, with a plain baked potato. No sense going overboard, right?”

  “I’ll take the same. But I want the works on the potato. And could you bring the lady a salad?”

  “Absolutely. What type of dressing?”

  Gilly leaned back in her chair and sipped her wine. “Any type of vinaigrette is fine.”

  The waiter marched off and Gilly tilted her head in Simon’s direction. “You don’t like salad?”

  “Not with vinaigrette. I like watching your eyes change color when you shift topics, though. Sometimes they look amber, sometimes they glisten green, and sometimes they’re somewhere in between. Like now, in the candlelight they’re golden. And you’re blushing.”

  “I am not. I don’t blush.”

  “You are. I love it.” He cracked a mischievous grin. “In fact, you have golden fire in your eyes right now.”

  “Stop it. I do not.”

  “You don’t take compliments very well, do you? I hadn’t noticed that before tonight.”

  She shifted in her seat. “You know very well why I’m nervous. Don’t pretend otherwise.”

  He did, but he wanted her to spell it out. “Do tell.”

  She took the bait. “I’m hoping tonight…after dropping me back home…you won’t leave right away.” Just getting that statement out there felt like she’d run a marathon. “Whew! Now you think I’m forward, but you should know, I bought new lingerie.” She couldn’t seem to stop her mouth from moving. “Too much information, huh?”

  “Are you serious? Watch me scarf down my dinner in record time. I want to see what you bought.”

  “The wait for food here is notoriously long,” she pointed out.

  “Maybe I’m not hungry anymore.”

  Gilly cut her eyes to the waiter, who picked that moment to plop down a huge tray with their plates on it.

  They dug in just to get the meal out of the way, anticipation humming between them with each bite. They even guzzled down Sonoma County’s finest without bothering to enjoy the aroma or the flavor.

  Before the waiter could hand out the bill, Simon handed his credit card off to Jolene. “Will you take this to our waiter. We’re in kind of a hurry.”

  “Sure. I’ll take care of it for you.”

  “They are obliging here,” Simon uttered. “We’ll have to try it again sometime when we’re not…”

  “So eager?” she finished.

  “Exactly.”

  After signing the receipt on the way out the door, he watched her stride in those heels to the truck. For the first time he wished he drove something sleeker, something spiffy that was worthy of her outfit.

  “Oh, by the way, do you know what’s playing tonight at the Driftwood?”

  “Hmm. That would be no.”

  She looped an arm through his. “Princess Bride.”

  “How did you manage that?”

  “Me? Whatever do you mean? It’s a coincidence.” She leaned in and whispered, “I actually thought we’d be heading to the movies tonight instead of heading back to my place.”

  “Do you have Jayden covered for the night or do we need to go pick him up?”

  If she’d had any reservations about sleeping with him this soon into their relationship, his concern for her baby erased all doubt. And he’d used the word “we.” Her heart swooned a little bit like it had in ninth grade with Wally Pierce. She poked him in the ribs. “Emma Colter is more than happy to keep him until morning.”

  He brought her into his chest. “Then let’s make the most of our time without the kids.”

  Twenty-One

  Simon made sure the short trip to her house took less time than usual. As soon as she opened the front door, she turned in his arms. Without words, he backed her against the wall. Mouth pressed against mouth. They tasted and devoured. He deepened the kiss, let it spin out until it dizzied them both.

  “I need to see all of you.” He slid the zipper all the way down on the back of that slinky fabric. Her skin felt like silk, warm and soft beneath his touch. He pressed a kiss to her shoulders and felt her skin tingle. He watched as the dress pooled in a heap on the top of her heels.

  Her breath hitched as his fingers found the swell of her breast through the lace of her bra. Deftly, he unsnapped the front closure. His blood went thick, his breath backed up in his lungs. The look of her in the dim light brought out needs, long denied.

  It was the purr in her throat at his touch that reminded him to slow things down. She deserved a rhythm, a pace where he could linger and savor every trace of bare skin. Measured kisses that went on and on caused the pulse to race.

  “I want to take you on a bed, not here against the wall.”

  She tugged him down her little hallway to her bedroom, a room she’d already prepped with the gentle glow of a nightlight. She’d left the window open and moonlight drifted in, bathing them in the perfect prelude to lust.


  He rid himself of the suit jacket and she took care of unbuttoning his shirt. She skimmed his torso with her nails getting to the belt and trousers. Her hands explored his broad shoulders, his hard body, muscles lean and firm from the toil of his labor.

  With one simple, gentle caress, arousal hung between them, they fell to the bed, bunched together in a ball of heat and lust.

  He ran his fingers along her cheek, bringing her mouth to meet his. Lips brought out the pleasure, sinking into a playful seduction. His tongue slid down to her breast, gliding over the swell and curve, sampling, savoring each pull and tug.

  He took his time trailing wet kisses down her body, relishing soft skin. He lingered at a curve, flicked along her belly before moving to taste other delectable flesh. Teasing out a moan, he thrilled to that moment of silk and satin until her breath became shallow, her focus on him.

  She witnessed moonlight turn golden as he took her up and over, climbing to that hot, gilded peak where release came fast and hard.

  He covered her mouth again, capturing each little sigh she eked out. They blended into one, movement and rhythm, syncing and sliding toward that same ribbon of wonder. It swirled and floated around them, lingering long and lovely, until neither could hold back. Together they fell, weightless, into the chasm that glowed and glimmered with everything they needed, they gave to each other.

  “I’m not sure I can move,” Simon admitted, out of breath, placing a kiss on the corner of her mouth.

  “Maybe I don’t want you to.”

  “I’m crushing you,” he said, as he slid to the side and cracked out a laugh. “I saw more than your underwear.”

  “I let you.”

  “I’m forever grateful you did.”

  “I haven’t done that in so long…”

  “Same here.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “Nope. I’d adopted a forced abstinence since moving here. Too busy with getting the business to grow and not enough hours in the day to go in pursuit of…companionship. You?”

  She rolled to her side, nuzzling into his chest. “Just taking care of my boy, working hard to buy a house. I’d given up on men.”

  He kissed her hair. “I hope you don’t feel that way about me.”

  “You’re the reason I bought new undies. You’re the reason I’m right here in this spot.” Her eyes fluttered closed. “Let’s take a little nap before you have to go, just for a few minutes to recharge.”

  “Mmm,” he replied, already nodding off.

  In the dream he aimed his .300 Win Mag at a man’s head and squeezed the trigger. The action resulted in an explosion of deadly aim and power. Where the enemy had once stood was now nothing more than a mass of blood and bone.

  The scene made him shiver. He tried to block out the image, but it wouldn’t go away. He tried to leave the area, to go somewhere else. But his feet refused to move from his perch.

  Eagle Eye sat next to him, pointing at another target. It seemed never-ending.

  Simon dutifully zeroed in, repeating the process from before. Another target exterminated, another target down.

  He felt like he wanted to throw up, like his food might return at any minute. It wouldn’t be the first time. But he needed to get out of the prying eyes of his spotter. He began to move, to shake, to feel himself floating away.

  Gilly woke to the man beside her thrashing in his sleep. Simon was so fitful, she touched his arm. It caused him to bolt upright, knocking her back. “Hey. Hey. It’s just me. It’s okay,” she said, rubbing his back.

  She noticed his torso gleaming wet.

  “I drifted off.”

  “How often do you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Toss and turn and wake up drenched in sweat.”

  “I don’t know.” When he saw the look she gave him, he closed his eyes. “Okay. It always happens. Every night.”

  “Is this like PTSD?”

  “It’s like guilt,” he snapped. “Look, I don’t wanna talk about it.”

  He started to crawl out of bed, but she yanked him back. “It’s okay, Simon. I get it. Just remember, this is the second part of your life. As you pointed out to me earlier, you’re no longer in the Army. You no longer need to suffer like this because you did your job. Think about what might’ve happened if you’d failed. How many lives would’ve been lost then? You need to start working on forgiving yourself. Now. Tonight.”

  He’d heard it all before and twisted to peer over her shoulder at the time on the clock. “It’s already five-thirty. I need to get home.”

  She noticed the strong man she’d come to know almost crumble in panic. “Simon, don’t go like this.”

  “I have to, Gilly. I promised my mom I’d take her out on the boat today. There are things I have to get done. I’d like it if you and Jayden could join us.”

  “What time?”

  “As soon as I can get the boat ready. Nine-ish maybe?”

  “I’d love to, but I can’t. Sydney’s forcing a group of us to attend a mandatory meeting for the fundraiser. It’s a brainstorming session slash brunch at her house at eleven. And then I have to be at work by four.”

  “Damn. I was hoping we could spend some more time together. My mother’s going back at the end of the week. I promised to show her the area. I want her to like it here.”

  She watched him get dressed and let out a sigh, starting to feel a little panic creep in herself. “When do we get to do this again?”

  “Whenever we can.” He ran a finger down her cheek and tilted her chin up. Pressing his lips to hers, the kiss felt electric. A new wave of lust hit. “I hate to go like this. You should go back to sleep. What time are you picking up Jayden?”

  “Around eight. I’m taking him with me to Sydney’s. She said it was okay. Other kids will be there, too.”

  “Then he’s covered for tonight?”

  She nodded. “My mother wants to give it a try.”

  “Is that wise?”

  “We’ll see, I guess.”

  “Call me if you need anything.”

  “Okay.”

  He kissed her again with a deep soul-rendering emotion that left her head spinning. And then he was out the door, gone, leaving her alone with a void, a feeling that something important was missing.

  Twenty-Two

  Gilly found out that Sydney’s notion of hosting the planning party was to keep the pitchers of margaritas coming. The suggestions tended to flow better when alcohol was involved.

  “The best idea so far is Gilly’s masquerade ball,” Sydney announced. “And if we act on that we need to get moving on making it happen, settling on a venue.”

  “Nick’s not exactly thrilled about wearing a costume,” Jordan admitted.

  “Same with Ethan,” Hayden confessed. “I’ll have to make it worth his while if we decide on that direction.”

  “Brent feels the same way,” River piped up. “But he’ll do it for a good cause. Raising money for the hospital is the best cause I know. I mean, no one wants to lose our brand-new facility.”

  “Exactly,” Jordan said. “All of us need to step up and do what it takes to make sure it’s always there. Besides, it isn’t like we’re asking the men to put on some stupid getup.”

  “What is it about guys not wanting to dress up?” Gilly noted. “All they have to do is wear a suit and tie and put a mask over their face for one evening. A mask equals a costume ball right there.” She couldn’t very well partake of the booze because in four hours she’d be on duty, but it didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the get-together and all it had to offer. She stuck a single chip down in a green sea of guacamole. “Who made this? It’s delicious.”

  “Logan did,” Kinsey answered. “He’s quite the cook these days. He made a lasagna last night to die for.”

  “Isn’t it great when men cook?” Isabella added, scooping up her own portion of the dip. “Thane doesn’t just bring home pizza from Longboard’s anymore, he actually makes
breakfast at least four mornings a week.”

  Gilly glanced over at baby Jace, now almost six months old. “He’s growing like a weed.”

  Isabella chuckled. “He is, but then he started out huge. Jace weighed almost nine pounds at birth.”

  “Try pushing out two,” Kinsey bemoaned, peering over at the baby and latching on to one of his chubby little fingers. “Logan’s talking about having another one. I might have to give in since Jace is so adorable.” She shifted gears and leaned into Gilly. “What’s this I hear about you and Simon joining forces?”

  “I know small town living is like a grapevine, but we haven’t put out a press release yet.”

  Kinsey bumped her shoulder. “Your mother has.”

  Gilly rolled her eyes. “And did she elaborate on how she felt about him?”

  “What do you think? Yeah, she made it known she’s not a fan. Don’t know why exactly. The guy has served so many tours of duty overseas that I’ve lost count. He’s a bona fide hero who doesn’t even talk about his service.”

  It made her blood boil that her mother couldn’t seem to keep her opinions to herself. But she maintained an even keel, refusing to let the annoyance show. “I don’t get it either.”

  But as she stood there, her mind drifted to the way he’d been tossing and turning. She’d seen firsthand what all those tours had done to him. She was pretty sure that trouble sleeping was only part of it. People didn’t realize the man suffered from a bad case of PTSD. Those thoughts were interrupted when she heard Jayden let out a squeal from the backyard. “I’d better go check on him.”

  Kinsey trailed after her. “I better go check on mine. They tend to act up when I take them out in public.”

  Gilly snorted out a laugh. “I’m almost afraid to look.” But what she saw through the open doorway was Beckham Blackwood and Faye DeMarco entertaining all the preschoolers with a lively, interactive puppet show about magical dragons. Naturally, Jayden enjoyed it so much he had to shout out his enthusiasm full throttle.

  “We should persuade those two that we need them for babysitting duty the night of the ball. Look how enthralled the kids are with the show.”