With the last of the food safely stowed, he grabbed a beer from the fridge.
The place was finally starting to feel lived in. It didn’t feel like home, but hopefully it would feel that way in time.
He took his beer out onto the deck, Lulu by his side.
This was privilege. Owning your own place, close to the water, with nature as your closest neighbor.
Even this close to the ocean it was still stifling, the air refusing to release any of the warmth that had built up during the day.
The deck wrapped itself around the back of the house. Light danced across the wooden boards, creating shadow and shade, and he leaned on the railing, staring out across the dunes to the ocean. The only sounds were the plaintive call of a gull, the whisper of the wind and the faint rush of the waves on sand. From here he could appreciate the beauty of the sunset over the Peconic Bay, his only companions the swans and osprey.
And Lulu.
Her ecstatic barking announced Fliss’s arrival even before he heard the wheels of her car crunch on gravel, followed by the slam of a car door.
Moments later she appeared around the side of the house, Lulu running circles around her feet.
She stooped to make a fuss of the dog, teasing her, murmuring words Seth couldn’t quite hear but which sent Lulu into tail-wagging ecstasy.
With a last tickle of her fingers, Fliss straightened and looked at him.
All sounds faded. It was as if the world had shrunk to just the two of them.
He wanted to reach out and haul her close, but he forced himself to keep his free hand on the railing.
He’d thought it was a good idea to ask her to his home, but now he wondered if a restaurant full of people might have been easier. Or maybe nothing about this meeting was ever going to be easy.
He watched as she took the steps up to the deck where he was waiting.
His heart pounded, but seeing her in shorts always did that for him. These skimmed her thighs and showed off the long, tanned length of her legs.
He lowered the bottle he was holding, even though his mouth felt as dry as dust. “You found the place with no problem?”
“One wrong turn. Almost landed the car in a ditch. You’re hidden away down here. You managed to find the one patch of land that isn’t crowded with summer people.”
“That was the idea. The land borders the nature preserve. This cottage used to be owned by an artist. He converted the top floor into an incredible studio. North light.” He watched the way the sunlight danced over her hair. She’d always had the most beautiful hair. Silver in some lights. Pale gold in others. If the artist who had owned the cottage were still living here, he would have whipped out a canvas and a brush. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“You’ve been going to considerable lengths to avoid me.”
She gave a casual shrug. “It’s not the first time I’ve pretended to be my sister.”
“I know you turn hide-and-seek into an art form, but surely even you can’t expect me to believe all that had nothing to do with avoiding me.”
“I really don’t—”
“I saw you, Fliss. That day outside the clinic when you were hovering, making up your mind whether to come in or not. I was on my way outside to talk to you when you dropped to the ground. I was about to dial 911, and then I realized you’d done it to avoid me.”
“I lost my balance.”
If he hadn’t been so exasperated he might have laughed.
Instead he pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and forced himself to breathe slowly. “Fliss—”
“Okay! I wasn’t totally excited about seeing you. And yes, I snatched the opportunity to get away from Manhattan so that I didn’t bump into you, and then I bumped into you anyway, which just proves that karma is an insensitive bitch.”
He let his hand drop. “Why was it such a big deal? You couldn’t just have said, ‘Hi, Seth, how are things?’”