Resisting Love

by Kat Bellemore

  He’d just act like nothing was out of the ordinary. As long as he didn’t bring Patty’s conversation up, it hadn’t happened. Isaac plastered on a smile and turned. One step. Two steps. Quicker now. He stopped next to the aquarium, unsure if he should sit down.

  “You can come on back,” Patty said, opening a door that led to the examination rooms.

  Isaac paused. Should he accompany Leanne back? That was something a husband would do. Maybe a boyfriend. After she struggled to her feet, though, he knew she wouldn’t be able to walk the whole way without help. “Everything still hurts?” he asked, offering his arm for her to use as a crutch. It was a dumb question, he knew, but he was grasping for a question that was safe yet also showed that he cared.

  She raised an eyebrow as she took his arm and pulled herself up. “Really?”

  Yeah, Leanne thought it had been a dumb question too.

  He gave a small shrug and threw a smile her way. “Maybe you miraculously recovered in the last”—he looked at his phone—“fifteen minutes.”

  “Sorry, I wish I could give you better news,” she said, hobbling toward where Patty still waited.

  As they passed the good doctor, Patty took it upon herself to join the conversation. “I’m sure this isn’t how you imagined starting your time back home.”

  “No, but as long as nothing is broken, I’m sure you’ll have me up and going in no time. I was actually hoping to surf over the weekend.”

  Isaac and Patty looked at her at the same time, their dismay evident. “I don’t think so,” they simultaneously said.

  Leanne glanced between them. “Really? Both of you?”

  “You can barely walk,” Isaac said, as if that were all the information Leanne needed.

  That was part of why he didn’t think she should surf that weekend—definitely a big part—but the other part? Leanne was a morning surfer, like him. And Saturday was his favorite day to go out because he didn’t have to hurry to work. He’d been lifeguarding long enough that he had first pick of which days he had off, and he’d of course chosen the weekend. That was when all the good competitions were, and he wasn’t about to watch everyone else surf while he was stuck in his lifeguarding station.

  But he didn’t think he could go out in the waves, not with Leanne out there. Isaac would be too busy avoiding her, worried about going after the same waves she was, or being so self-conscious about her watching him that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate and he’d wipe out. Not that it mattered if he wiped out in front of her—he’d done it plenty in the past. But things felt different now, almost like he needed to impress her. Show her that her absence hadn’t affected him—that he was better than ever. Not only a better surfer, but also happier—a better version of himself.

  Leanne had left. But he’d been fine.

  Better than fine. Isaac was great.

  He kept telling himself that.

  Leanne’s touch on his arm as they walked into the examination room didn’t affect him in the slightest. Nope. As long as he ignored the tingles. And the heart palpitations. And the shortness of breath.

  “If your legs are even half as scratched up as your arms are, I highly recommend taking it easy for the next couple of weeks,” Patty said, showing them into a small room. “And I don’t have to tell you what saltwater will feel like in those wounds.”

  Leanne winced at the thought, as did Isaac. They’d all been there, done that. It was like a rite of passage when growing up in a coastal town, and one they weren’t likely to repeat. Not on purpose, anyway.

  “I know,” Leanne said, releasing a long sigh. “It’s just been so long since I’ve been able to get out there, and my mom has needed a lot of help at the bed and breakfast since I got back. Saturday was going to be my chance to finally get out in the waves.”

  Okay, now Isaac felt guilty for wanting the ocean all to himself.

  Patty opened a drawer and pulled out something that looked like a folded paper tablecloth. “I wish you could walk out of this office, grab your board, and ride the first wave you see. I really do.” She handed the folded paper to Leanne. “Let me take a look at your legs. Maybe they won’t be as bad as I think.”

  An awkward silence settled over the room, and both Patty and Leanne turned and looked at Isaac. His gaze flitted between the two women, wondering what he’d done to capture their attention.

  When it became obvious that he wasn’t receiving their telepathic message, Leanne made a shooing motion with her hand and said, “She has to look at my legs so we know how badly they got scraped up.”

  Isaac nodded. Yeah, he understood that part.

  She heaved a dramatic sigh and then, looking slightly flustered, and maybe even embarrassed, said, “Under my pants. As in, I have to get out of my clothes.”

  Oh. Right. He felt heat rush up his neck and into his face.

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to check everything,” Patty said, seeming amused at the exchange. “I’d bet anything your back and sides got a fair amount of damage as well.” She paused. “But you don’t have to send him out if you don’t want to. Significant others are allowed to stay, even if you aren’t married yet.”

  Fire. Isaac’s face, his chest…everything felt like it was burning up. Did Patty keep water in this room? He didn’t see any, and he doubted hand sanitizer would help. What he wouldn’t give to run from the office straight into the ocean, where he’d stay until his embarrassment was no longer consuming him.

  Leanne didn’t seem like she was faring much better, her cheeks a nice shade of magenta. “I… Well… That’s nice of you to offer. But the thing is…he…we…I don’t want him to worry unnecessarily, and he does worry quite a bit. I think it would be best for him not to be here. Until you get it cleaned up and stuff. I’m assuming it will look better once you’ve slapped a bandage or something on it, right?”

  Patty cut Leanne off before she could continue her rambling, which was too bad, because Isaac was curious to know how long Leanne would have kept going if the doctor hadn’t interrupted. “I understand. The people who love us the most worry the most.”

  Patty gave Isaac an apologetic smile, like she had been the bearer of bad news and was the one kicking Isaac out.

  He tried to not look as relieved as he felt. He held up two hands. “I get it. I know when I’m not wanted.” He shot the doctor a grin to show there were no hard feelings and backed out of the room. It wasn’t another moment later that Patty followed him out, closing the door behind her to allow Leanne to change.

  She chuckled and shook her head. “What was going through that girl’s head, riding her bike with her eyes closed? She’s lucky she didn’t land on her head.”

  Isaac stared. “Her eyes were closed like…shut?”

  Patty’s lips formed an O, and she looked slightly flustered as she said, “Oh dear. She had told me when she first came into the office. I assumed you knew, considering you are here with her.”

  “I wasn’t with her at the time of the accident,” he managed to say amid the thousand thoughts running through his mind. What on earth would have possessed her to ride without looking where she was going? That seemed like something he’d do, but not Leanne.

  The doctor tilted her head. “Once she returned home, I figured you two would be inseparable. But I suppose you both still have responsibilities you need to take care of—can’t spend all day in bed and making wedding plans.”

  Okay, it had gotten awkward before, and it apparently wasn’t letting up. Isaac didn’t want to go into details about how that hadn’t really been their style before, and certainly wasn’t now. So he gave Patty one of his famous smiles and said, “I’ll be reading over there by the fish tank if you need anything.”

  And then he gave her a small wave and moonwalked backward until he bumped into one of the chairs lining the walls. Patty watched him with an amused smirk as he plopped down into the seat and casually leaned back. That’s right. Be cool.

  He’d told Patty he’d be re
ading.

  Which meant he needed a book.

  He didn’t have a book.

  But there was a three-year-old magazine on the table next to him that he could feign interest in. One of those big-shot actors was featured on the front. Eli Hunt. Isaac couldn’t remember if he’d seen the guy in anything, but Eli was the type of actor everyone knew, even if they didn’t exactly know why.

  By the time he’d picked up the magazine, though, Patty was gone. He glanced at the cover. Apparently, Eli Hunt was one of those method actors who, once shooting a movie, never got out of character. The magazine claimed to have an exclusive look at what that was like for him, how it affected his family life, etcetera.

  Not something Isaac was interested in.

  Isaac closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall. Keeping up an image was exhausting, and he’d felt like that had been all he’d done since Leanne left for LA.

  Now that she was back, it was worse than ever.

  He wondered how many of those little blue pills he had back at the house. Probably time for a refill.

  10

  Leanne stepped out of the office feeling like she could take on the world. The bandages had done wonders, and the pain pills hadn’t hurt either. Yeah, she was scratched up. The doc had said she’d be sore for the next week, which meant no surfing that weekend. But at least she didn’t have any broken bones, and she wasn’t hobbling anymore. All in all, Patty had said that Leanne was very lucky it hadn’t been worse.

  That was the last time Leanne would ride without a helmet. Or with her eyes closed. Patty hadn’t been able to stop laughing when Leanne told her. Apparently, it was ill-advised to ride a bike when you couldn’t see.

  Some people learn from their own mistakes. Others learn from the mistakes of others.

  Leanne was usually the one who took one for the team and helped others learn what not to do.

  She walked out to the waiting room, about to apologize for making Isaac wait so long, but didn’t see him. She scanned the waiting room, twice, just to make sure she hadn’t missed him in one of the corners.

  Nope, he definitely wasn’t there.

  Disappointment settled in her stomach. She hated that she cared so much—Isaac had already helped her more than he’d needed to. What had she expected?

  With an angry shake of her head, she pushed through the door to leave the office. She wasn’t mad at him—she was mad at herself. For allowing herself to hope, even for a brief moment, that they could be something more. Maybe not what they used to be, but something more than they were now.

  Leanne wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  She paused once she got to the sidewalk. Going right would take her home. But turning left would take her to the boardwalk. And consequently, to Starlight Chocolate Confections.

  Leanne didn’t have her purse, but it would still be nice to see Adeline. And she could snag a few samples while there.

  It was a no-brainer.

  Leanne hadn’t gone through all that just to go home empty-handed.

  She wasn’t leaving without those truffles.

  Even though she wasn’t hobbling anymore, Patty had been right, it was going to take some time to heal. Everything felt stiff, like her body didn’t want to move. The more she walked, though, the more things seemed to loosen up, and it didn’t take long for Leanne to walk the two streets that led to the boardwalk.

  She stood for a moment in front of Adeline’s display window, taking in all the different types of chocolates she had out. It was going to be impossible to choose—she might just have to get one of everything.

  Adeline must have seen her from inside, because the door to the shop abruptly swung open, and Adeline practically jumped on top of Leanne, wrapping her in a hug.

  Ouch.

  “I can’t believe you’re back,” Adeline said, completely unaware of the fireworks that had erupted over Leanne’s skin. “I mean, I can, because it’s all everyone has been talking about. You probably think I’m the worst friend, not having come by to visit you yet.” Her embrace only seemed to tighten.

  Double-ouch.

  “I’ve only been back a few days now,” Leanne mumbled against Adeline’s hair.

  Adeline stepped back. “I know, but I bet Jessie’s already been by with a basket of tarts. And Erwin with a platter of shrimp—” She broke off, her gaze landing on the bandages covering Leanne’s upper arms. “What happened to you?” Then her eyes widened with realization, and a hand flew to her mouth. “I just attacked you, while you’re injured.”

  “You didn’t know. It’s okay. I’m just a bit scratched up is all.” No sense in making Adeline feel any worse about things. “Crashed my bike on the way here.”

  “Just now?” she asked, glancing back up the street as if she’d see some evidence of the accident.

  “Yup.”

  Adeline opened the door to her shop to allow Leanne to step past. “I take it the good doctor patched you up?”

  Leanne nodded and entered the chocolate shop. “Yeah. I didn’t realize how much I missed Patty until I saw her again.” She inhaled deeply. Oh, the scent of freshly made chocolate. “But even injured, there was no way I was going to miss out on your truffles.” She paused. “And visiting you, of course. I did want to say hi and see how you’re doing.”

  “That’s sweet of you,” Adeline said with a laugh. “But I wouldn’t be offended if you said you’d only come for the chocolate. Tell me what you want, and it’s yours. On the house.”

  Leanne rubbed her hands in anticipation and looked around the brightly lit store. Shelves lined the walls, filled with every flavor she could think of. Even the checkout counter housed display shelves with individual pieces, not yet boxed. The mint truffles were usually her go-to, but the caramel pecan was pretty good too. That was when she noticed a large display of boxes sitting directly in front of the cash register. “What’s in those?” she asked, walking closer.

  “Good eye,” Adeline said with a grin that told Leanne that her friend had been hoping she’d ask about the display. “That’s our newest flavor.” She paused, allowing anticipation to settle over Leanne, before saying, “Chile.”

  Leanne didn’t think she’d heard right. “Like…serve me up a bowl with cornbread kind of chili?”

  Adeline’s grin grew wider. “No, like grab a glass of water, because these chile peppers are spicier than you can handle.”

  Oh. That kind of chile. “That’s kind of…” Leanne was unsure how to finish that sentence. Adeline had never been very risky with her chocolate making, always sticking with the tried and true flavors.

  “Weird?” Adeline answered for her.

  That hadn’t been the exact word she’d been looking for, but yeah, weird. Leanne didn’t want to say that to her friend, though, so she settled for “Unique.”

  Adeline reached under the counter and pulled out a piece of tissue, then grabbed a dark truffle from a tray that sat in front of her. “It’s okay, I know it’s weird. Trust me, I fought Bree on it for six months before I finally caved and said I’d see if I could come up with a recipe for it.” She held out the truffle for Leanne to take. “I expected it to be a one-time batch disaster.”

  Leanne hesitated before taking the truffle. She eyed the boxes. “That looks like more than one batch.”

  “Oh, yeah. I have to make five batches a day during our busy season. Nowadays I can get away with just one, but everyone in town usually buys me out before closing time.”

  Leanne stared at the small chocolate in her hand. “Bree convinced you, huh? She’s from New Mexico, right?”

  “Yup. We were roommates in college. I learned to love chile as much as the next New Mexican, but chocolate was where I drew the line.”

  She knew Adeline wouldn’t steer her wrong when it came to chocolate—it was almost a sacred art for the shop owner. But still…

  Leanne glanced at her friend, and she couldn’t ignore the excitement she saw there.

  Fine.

>   She closed her eyes, then bit the truffle in half.

  Huh. She opened her eyes. It tasted like a normal dark chocolate truffle. She didn’t know what she’d tell Adeline, who was still watching Leanne eat, her eyes bright. Maybe Adeline had given her a dud. Or she’d boxed up the wrong flavor, thinking it was chile. That didn’t seem like the kind of mistake Adeline would make, though.

  Leanne determined she’d just tell Adeline it was delicious and call it good—then the chile showed up. It was subtle, but the spiciness was definitely there. And it grew. Not to where it overpowered her senses, the dark chocolate helping to tone down the flavor, but Adeline had been right about one thing.

  She’d need a glass of water.

  Before she could ask, Adeline held out a miniature plastic water bottle to Leanne. “I’ve learned to have these on hand for those who want to taste-test them.”

  Leanne nodded her thanks, unable to speak, and fumbled with the lid. It took a couple of tries, but she got it open and guzzled down half the bottle. “Wow,” she finally managed to say.

  “What do you think?” Adeline asked.

  Leanne had no idea. Chile didn’t belong in chocolate. And yet, it had a unique flavor that left her wanting more. She popped the other half in her mouth and chewed, savoring the sweet with the spicy. Yeah, she still had to drink the rest of her water. But she now knew why everyone in town kept coming back.

  “That is the best chocolate I’ve ever had,” she told Adeline. “And I want an entire box, please.”

  Adeline squealed and clapped her hands, like that was the best thing she had heard all day. “I better give you two; otherwise, Isaac will eat all of yours.”

  Leanne’s heart dropped, and her smile with it. “Um…no, it’s okay. One will be fine.”

  Her friend had been reaching for a second chocolate box, but paused. “Is everything okay?”