up in his truck.
His white smile flashed through the dusty windshield as he saw me step out of the depot, feeling far less steady than I had before the bike fall and before his fingers had brushed away the dirt from my skin.
Caden hopped out of the truck and lifted the bikes into the bed. My knees were sore, but overall I’d been lucky. I hobbled to the passenger side of the truck. Caden rushed around to my side and opened the door. He helped me climb up onto the seat, and I let him, even though it wasn’t necessary.
He climbed in on the driver’s side and turned the truck around.
“How are you doing there, limpy?”
I shook my head. “It seems that I’ll make a full recovery. How was my mom’s bike?”
“The basket was a little tweaked, but otherwise, it’s fine.”
I held my hand out the open window, letting the air cool the sting on my palm. It wasn’t nearly as soothing as Caden’s breath. “So when are you going back to the beach?”
“Tomorrow morning. I’ve got to change the oil on the truck today. Dad and Sally are taking Aunt Bev to the airport this afternoon. I think it’ll be good for them to have some alone time.”
He didn’t mention the beach invite again. I was both relieved and disappointed.
“Do you have some antibacterial stuff to put on those scrapes?”
“Yes, Dr. Stratton, I do.” I smiled over at him. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, Trinket.” He pulled the truck into my driveway, and I climbed out. Mom came running out of the house. One hand was covered with chocolate, which meant that she was in the middle of dipping truffles. She held her chocolatey fingers like a surgeon holding up a sterilized hand. “What happened?”
“I was trying to avoid a squirrel, and . . .” I looked pointedly at my knees.
“Oh, Kenna. Well, there’s some bandages in the medicine cabinet. I’ve got to get back to my chocolate. Thanks for bringing her home, Caden,” she called as she rushed back inside with her chocolate hand.
I waved to Caden as he took the bike into the garage. I headed to the bathroom and pulled out the bandages. Then I shuffled down the hall to my room. I tossed the box of bandages on my bed and walked over to my desk. I hadn’t used it since high school, and most of my old school stuff was still shoved in the drawers. My palms were tender as I shuffled through the bottom drawer. It was still there, hidden below a stack of papers, reports and finals that I’d kept for some silly reason. I pulled the paper out. It had been pulled from a notebook. The fringed edges had curled up completely. I’d written ‘Kenna’s Life Plan’ across the top in thick pink highlighter, and I’d added a few hearts and scrolls to make it fancy. Underneath was a picture of my husband and me riding dolphins toward the beach. A shell wreath circled my head, sort of. Sadly my artistic skills had not improved much since then. I’d labeled the pictures with a blue pen. Kenna, the bride. Caden, the groom. Of course I’d never showed anyone my life’s plan because, at that time, I would have rather eaten a cockroach than let anyone know that I wanted to marry Caden Stratton.
I smiled down at the picture and rubbed my fingertips over it before sliding it back into the bottom of the drawer.
Chapter 10
Caden
Aunt Bev gave me a stiff hug and whispered in my ear to take care of my dad. Then she climbed into the backseat of the car.
“We’ll be a few hours, depending on traffic,” Dad called over the top of his car before climbing in himself. I’d told him about my plans to go back to the beach for a few days. He’d had no real reaction except that he mentioned it would probably do me some good and it would give Sally a chance to wind down after all the visitors. Seconds after he said it, he tried to backtrack, reminding me, of course, that I was not a visitor but a part of the family. I’d stopped him halfway through his stumbling explanation and hugged him, to let him know I understood what he meant.
I walked over to the truck and pushed up the hood to inspect the belts. A flicker of movement across the street caught my attention. Kenna stepped out of her