Page 15 of Love, Second Chances and Other Nonsense
I smile against his shirt. “We can try it against the wall tomorrow if you want.”
“Nah,” he says, his hands warm on my back. “I think you were right. The view is pretty great.”
I tilt my head back to look at him. “Are we still talking about the couch?”
His dimples appear as he grins down at me. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
He leans down to kiss me, soft and sweet, and I melt against him. The song changes to something more upbeat, but we keep swaying to our own rhythm, lost in each other.
Outside, the sun sets over the mountains, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. Inside, we dance in our new home, figuring out how to fit our lives together one step at a time.
“I love you,” Adam whispers against my temple. “Even when you drive me crazy.”
“I love you too,” I whisper back. “Especially when you drive me crazy.”
In this moment, with his arms around me and the future stretching out before us, I can’t imagine being anywhere else, with anyone else. Whatever comes next, we’ll face it together.
The music plays on, and we dance into the night, christening our new home with laughter and love and the promise of tomorrow.
* * *
Today I have good news, and not even having to endure the weekly dinner that Adam’s parents host is going to spoil my mood. No, not even the thought of spending my evening enduring Paula Kelley’s subtle barbs is going to bring me down. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
After months of searching, I’ve landed a job as a cook at a small cafe called Rosie’s Diner. It has a warm, home-style feeling, and the kitchen is clean and well-equipped. The owner, named Iris and not Rosie, needed a new cook immediately after her current one left town with her girlfriend.
Iris is a middle-aged woman who barely reaches 4’11 in heels. She has curly purple hair, fire engine red nails and lipstick, and a brisk, no-nonsense air. But she smiled when she tasted my sample dishes.
“You’ve got talent, girl,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “Didn’t expect that from someone with no formal training.”
I told her about growing up working in my family’s restaurant, about how my grandmother started teaching me to cook before I could spell my name, about the way a kitchen feels like home no matter where I am. And when she offered me a job, I thanked her and accepted on the spot.
Now, as I park outside Paula and Gerald’s tidy ranch-style home, I rehearse how I’ll share my news. Adam’s already here; his truck is parked next to Hailey’s sporty coupe. I check my reflection in the rearview mirror, smooth my hair, and practice a smile that doesn’t betray how nervous I am. These dinners always leave me feeling like I’m taking a test I didn’t study for and never quite pass.
Gerald answers the door with a warm smile. I like Gerald. He’s straightforward and kind, with none of Paula’s sharp edges.
“Come on in, Caitlin. We’re just getting started,” he says, leading me through the foyer with its gallery of family photos. I notice, not for the first time, how many include Millie, her face beaming next to Adam’s in graduation photos, on fishing trips, at birthday parties.
In the kitchen, Lauren and Paula are filling serving platters with roast beef, potatoes, and vegetables. Lauren gives me a friendly smile when I enter. Paula also smiles, but hers is tight at the corners.
“Caitlin, there you are. Adam said you might be late,” Paula says as she arranges rolls in a basket, her movements precise and practiced.
“Sorry, I was completing some details for my new job,” I say, washing my hands at the sink.
“Job? That’s wonderful,” Paula says at the same time that Lauren says, “Congratulations!”
Lauren’s husband Jake and Adam come in from the den, and my heart does that stupid little jump it always does. Even after all this time, even with the distance growing between us, Adam still makes my heart race like no one ever has.
Jake gives me a friendly greeting, and Adam wraps his arms around me, dropping a soft kiss on my lips.
“Hey, you got it? I knew my girl would blow them away,” he whispers, and for a moment, it feels like we’re still us.
We all help carry serving dishes into the dining room, where a large oak table is set with Paula’s good china. Hailey is already seated, texting rapidly on her phone. She looks up when we enter; her smile not quite reaching her eyes.
“Hey, Caitlin. Long time no see.”
It’s been a week since I saw her at the last family dinner, but I nod and take my seat.
As we pass plates and fill glasses, the conversation flows around me like I’m a rock in a stream. Gerald peppers Adam and Lauren with questions about how the family business is doing; he’s still taking his forced retirement hard. There’s gossip about neighbors I barely know and Hailey’s latest promotion at work.
