“Right.” Poppy turned her incredulous gaze back to unpacking boxes and Élise knew she’d been about as convincing as she’d been when she’d told Sean she didn’t think of Paris.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SEAN HAD FORGOTTEN HOW it felt to spend a whole day outdoors. Used to dehydrating under the artificial lights of the operating room, it was a pleasant change to feel the sun scorch his back and breathe in the scent of summer rain.
What surprised him most was the discovery that he’d missed certain aspects of being home. He’d missed the lake and the forest, the feel of the wood against his hands, the rush of satisfaction that came from a job well done.
Nothing gave him the same satisfaction as operating, but he had to admit that over the past few days there had been moments when working on the deck had come close. After days of watching life go by, he could see how much Jackson had done to boost the fortunes of Snow Crystal.
Every morning, Brenna had taken a group of children out onto the lake in kayaks as part of her Outdoor Discovery week. Jess, Tyler’s daughter, had joined them and Sean had been watching their progress.
Among the children he recognized Sam Stephens, who had been coming to Snow Crystal for the last five years with his parents. This year there was a new baby in the family so Sam had been enrolled in one of their kids’ programs and if the smile on his face was anything to go by, he was loving it.
“Hi, Dr. O’Neil!” Sam waved madly and the kayak rocked.
“Hi, yourself.” Deciding that a break was as good a way of slowing things down as any, Sean leaned over the railings. “Looking good, Sam.”
“Brenna’s been teaching us how not to capsize. You have to use your paddle and your body. A few of us fell in.” He lowered his voice. “One of the boys cried, but I thought it was really cool.”
Sean thought about the temperature of the water and decided “cool” probably didn’t begin to describe it. “How’s that sister of yours?”
“She cries a lot and she’s too small to be any fun, but Dad says maybe in two years she can go on a bike or something.” Sam almost smacked himself in the face with the paddle. “I’m going to be nine next week. I’m getting a bike for my birthday. Dad’s going to take me out on one of the trails. Have you saved any lives today, Dr. O’Neil?”
“Not today. But it’s only eleven o’clock.” He’d lost his audience because the boy was peering past him, the kayak rocking as he craned his neck.
“Élise! Élise, look at me.” He waved an arm, almost dropping the paddle. “I know the French word for lake. Lac.”
“Très bien! You are very clever.” Light on her feet, Élise crossed the deck and waved back. “Soon you will be fluent.”
Sean glanced at her and saw that telltale dimple in the corner of her mouth. Her gaze was warm as she leaned over the railings and spoke to the boy, speaking slowly in French.
Sam was paddling and
talking. “I like French but science is my best subject. I want to be a doctor. I want to be a surgeon like Dr. O’Neil. He fixes bones and things. Isn’t that right, Dr. O’Neil?”
Sean dragged his eyes away from that dimple. “Yeah.” Aware that he sounded croaky, he cleared his throat. “That’s right.”
“I guess if you’re going to be a surgeon, you have to be okay with blood. I’m fine with blood. I don’t faint or anything.” Sam paddled away, kayak rocking in the water. “See you later, alligator!”
Élise grinned at Sean. “You said you wanted hero worship. I think you’ve got it.”
“He’s the one and only paid-up member of my fan club.”
She straightened. “Finish my deck in time for the opening, and I’ll be your second member.”
“I’ll finish your deck.” He couldn’t decide what to look at—the swing of her hair or the curve of her mouth, but he knew he wanted more time with both. He also knew she’d been avoiding him since their conversation a few days earlier. “Sit down for five minutes. You’ve been working all morning. You never stop.”
“There is still too much to do and we’re full in the restaurant tonight. Fortunately Elizabeth is working so that makes things easier. Having your mother helping out in the kitchen has changed my life.”
“It’s changed her life, too.” He remembered how his mother had been after his father’s death and compared it to the way she was now. “There was a time when I didn’t know how she was going to cope without Dad. She always loved cooking for the family but none of us thought about her working in the business. You saved her.”
“She saved herself. It just took a little time and that is not surprising. She lost someone she loved. You all did. You were close to your father.”
“Yes.” He saw no reason to deny it. “Of the three of us, I was probably the closest to him.”
There was a brief silence and then she covered her hand with his. “Losing someone you love is very hard.” She was about to say something else, but then she saw Sam waving and waved back. “I need to get on.”
He wanted to ask about her mother, about her life in Paris, but he knew it was the wrong time. And the wrong place. “You work too hard.”