Kids ran and played in the sand. Some darted in and out of the chilly Pacific waters. Men, women, teenagers lounged in the sand. It was Santa Raquel in the summertime and Lacey loved it.
“It’s okay, Lace.”
“What is?”
“That you don’t want me to meet him.”
Oh, God.
Stopping in her tracks, she pulled her sister to an abrupt stop, as well. A girl jogging on the beach veered around them and gave them a dirty look.
“It’s not that,” she said, looking Kacey in the eye. “I swear, Kacey.” Though, if truth be told, if there really was a guy, then...maybe...
“I just want you to know that I understand. I don’t blame you if...”
“He’s a client, Kace,” she said, words pouring out of her without forethought. “Or rather, was a client. Very briefly. He doesn’t even like me. I swear, I’m not seeing anyone. I just...think about him. No clue why. And I’m going to make sure I stop.”
“He wasn’t hurting a kid, was he?” Kacey knew what she did for a living, in every detail Lacey was at liberty to give.
“Of course not.” Jeremiah Bridges doted on Levi, who obviously not only adored his dad, but felt secure with him, too. It hadn’t taken Lacey long to assess that one.
“So...he’s...”
“Nothing.” Lacey started walking again back the way they’d come, toward the car. They could go shopping again, or something. “He’s nothing. So nothing he wasn’t worth mentioning except that I couldn’t have you thinking I don’t trust you.”
“It’s not a matter of trusting me,” Kacey said. “You know I’d never date a guy you even thought you liked.”
Yeah, she did know that. Kacey was right. She wasn’t the problem.
Guys were.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JEM COULDN’T BELIEVE his eyes when he pulled into Uncle Bob’s on Saturday, glanced toward the beach and saw Lacey Hamilton in double. In both forms his fantasies had taken. One was drably overdressed, and the other rather undressed. He skipped over the version with long, tanned legs exposed, and stared at the one with loose black cotton shorts that hung to her knees.
He much preferred taking his time to unwrap his own package, not have it arrive out of the wrapping. He’d always been weird that way.
But her hair... It was the first time he’d seen those blond locks down in real life. It fell almost to her waist and he...
“Come on, Dad!” Levi’s little feet kicked the back of his seat and he heard his son unfasten the belt in his car seat. “We haveta eat.”
They were a little late for lunch. He’d taken Levi to work with him as he always did on Saturday morning and had been occupied much longer than planned getting through the list of problems his foremen had handed him during their weekly meeting. Nothing he couldn’t handle, though. A straight driveway that was now going to be curved. Some wiring that had blown when a drywall screw had missed a stud. Windows that didn’t fit. And roof tiles that had been delivered in black rather than the rust brown the customer had ordered.
Keys in hand he got out of the truck, opened the backseat door to help Levi down and watched as the two women made their way slowly toward the beach parking lot that was adjacent to Uncle Bob’s.
He wasn’t going to call out to her. He didn’t ever want to see her again.
“It’s her and her twin, Dad! See?” Levi said, loudly enough for anyone in the parking lot to hear. Uncle Bob’s parking lot, not the adjacent one.
So much for thinking that the woman had given his son nightmares.
“Yeah, I see.” Jem, giving a small tug on Levi’s hand, turned toward the restaurant. “And her name is Lacey.”
“Lacey!” Levi called out immediately. Not at all what he’d intended. Should have kept his mouth shut...
He thought about telling his son they absolutely did not want to see the other woman. Telling him that for their own safety they had to stay away from her. But he couldn’t figure out how to do so when Levi had been told she was a friend. He’d let her take Levi alone to a playroom. He’d let her in their home, to see Levi’s room and most prized possessions.
The women were almost at the first row of cars. He didn’t see the one that had been parked outside his home on one of the worst nights of his life.