Driftwood Bay (Hope Harbor #5) - Irene Hannon Page 0,104

them.”

“Any idea why?”

“Better than an idea. I’ll give you the whole scoop once we get to the beach. In the meantime . . . tell me about your day. How was the farmer’s market?”

“Sales were excellent, and there were a couple of interesting customers.”

He listened as she relayed a humorous story about a man whose wife had always wanted to spend a night on a lavender farm and who’d tried to rent a room for their anniversary in three weeks.

“I explained to him that I wasn’t a B&B and that most of the lavender wasn’t in bloom yet, but after he kept pushing I suggested he bring his wife to tea instead and book a night at the Seabird Inn in town—a very romantic spot, from what I hear. He said he was going to run that idea by his wife.” She brushed some wind-tossed strands of hair back from her face. “You have to admire a guy who’s willing to make an effort to please the woman in his life.”

Duly noted—and encouraging.

“Your idea sounds like a perfect compromise.” They crested the last dune, and he stopped. A gold-and-rose wash colored the sky above the horizon, and the setting sun cast a gilded swath of light across the water.

“It’s beautiful here.” The corners of Jeannette’s mouth rose as she surveyed the view.

“Yes. It is.”

She looked at him . . . and he kept his attention riveted on her to leave no doubt about his meaning.

A slight flush spread across her cheeks, and she lowered her lashes. Shoved her hands into her pockets.

Before she got spooked and hightailed it back to the safety of her house, he took her arm and urged her forward. “Let’s go down to the beach.”

He found a spot not far from the water and spread out the blanket.

“Can we eat the brownies now, Uncle Logan?” Molly held up the white bag.

“Let’s wait for a while. You can play with Toby first.” He unclipped the dog’s leash, and the beagle took off along the sand, staying back from the surf—one of the pluses of the breed. They might like to dig, but they weren’t fans of water—meaning he didn’t have to worry about sudsing up a wet dog later.

Nor did he have to worry much about Molly getting too near the water. She’d stick close to Toby.

He motioned toward the blanket, and Jeannette sat. He joined her, waiting until his niece was out of hearing distance to return to the subject his neighbor had introduced on the walk down.

“With Molly occupied, this is a perfect opportunity to give you the scoop on why she and I finally clicked.”

Based on the sudden tension in her features, some nuance in his inflection must have put her on alert that the conversation was about to turn personal. “You don’t have to. I don’t want to pry.”

“It isn’t prying to ask questions about people who are important to you. And I’d like to think Molly and I fall into that category—because you’re important to us.”

She swallowed and shifted her position to sit cross-legged. “You know I have an issue with getting close to people.”

“Yes—and I understand why. If you love again, you could lose again. I think that’s one of the reasons Molly didn’t warm up to me. She lost her father . . . and her Nana . . . and Button. What if she lost me too?”

“Yet you won her over.”

“Thanks to what I told her after we found them.”

“Do I want to know what that was?”

“I’m not sure—but I’m going to tell you anyway.” He locked onto her gaze. “In all the months she lived with me, I did my best to show her how much I cared for her. But I neglected to put that into words. I never said I love you—until last night. And that made all the difference.”

She sucked in a breath, alarm flaring in her eyes. “I’m not—”

“Wait.” He held up a hand. “Don’t panic. I’m not going to declare my undying love for you on this beach tonight. It’s too soon for that. But I am going to tell you that I care for you, that I think we have great potential, and that I’d like to see where a relationship could lead. I do come with a ready-made family, however.” He motioned toward Molly and Toby. “That’s why I brought them along tonight. If you sign on with me, you sign on with them. That means we won’t have the typical