admit he was an imposing figure, dressed in a tight white T-shirt and blue jeans. He stood with his legs braced apart and his arms crossed. I couldn’t help noticing the bulging muscles of his upper arms. He didn’t look like the sort of man who worked out in a gym, which led me to believe he toned those perfect biceps with the renovation work he did on the house.
“I’m not trespassing,” I called out. “This is a public sidewalk.” Giving Elvis one last pat on the head, I slowly straightened. “I’ll be moving along now.” I waved and continued on down the street, but not before I saw Mr. Dickhead give a hint of a smile. I probably shouldn’t call him that, knowing what I do about him and his brother. But I couldn’t help myself; he infuriated me and at the same time intrigued me.
My nature isn’t confrontational, so I went on my merry way as if nothing had happened, all the while stewing on the inside.
The farther I got from Bethel, the more disgruntled I became, only now my anger was directed at myself.
Why in the name of all that’s holy had I even spoken to him? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Then I had to go and do something equally asinine and wave to him as if we were friendly neighbors, which we most certainly were not!
I can be such an idiot.
That settled it. I renewed my resolve. Not only wasn’t I running past the house again, I was staying completely off Bethel Street from this point forward.
—
Early on the morning of the Fourth of July, Jo Marie left the inn for Seattle and the cousins’ reunion. I served breakfast to the older couple, who had family plans for the day. They checked out mid-morning and headed to a cabin they had rented on Hood Canal to meet up with their daughter and grandchildren. Rover and I had the house blissfully to ourselves.
My mother wasn’t happy with me staying in Cedar Cove and missing out on the family gathering.
“I wanted you to meet Fred,” she’d insisted. “I made all these arrangements and now you tell me you aren’t coming.”
“Mom, I told you that last week,” I’d reminded her.
Her lingering sigh said it all. “Fred is going to be disappointed.”
Fred, if this was the Fred I remembered, was undoubtedly as eager to escape this matchmaking effort as I was. He was forty and lived with his mother. Enough said. I was fairly certain he was no more interested in dating me than I was in a romantic relationship with him.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, Emily. It’s like you’ve given up on life,” Mom protested, as though her words were a wake-up call for me to fall, unresisting, into her plans. “You’re overreacting; lots of women are in your situation…”
“Mom, please…don’t.” I didn’t want this to turn into another one of her heart-to-heart chats with me. As much as I loved my family, I didn’t want to hear it.
My mother was wrong. I hadn’t given up on life; what no longer interested me was risking my heart by falling in love. Those wounds cut deep, but there were other, bigger obstacles and my mother seemed to discount them.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again. The pain involved when the truth came out as the relationship deepened was more than I could face a third time. I couldn’t bear to go through it again; it wasn’t worth the emotional agony. I had a new plan for the future, and while I would have liked to share my life with a husband, it wasn’t in the cards for me. I’d accepted that and was content.
The neighborhood kids started setting off fireworks at about three in the afternoon. I had never been a fan of fireworks. In my humble opinion they should be left to the professionals. The newspapers and airwaves were filled with dire warnings regarding fire danger and safety hazards.
It was fortunate that the city of Cedar Cove put on its own display, and I had the perfect location for a spectacular view. I’d invited Jo Marie’s friend Dana and her family to join me, but they had other plans with her husband’s sister’s family. Basically, it was just Rover and me, which was fine.
Because it didn’t get dark in the Pacific Northwest until nearly ten at night, I sat out on the deck with a glass of iced tea. Rover was snoozing contentedly at my side as I propped my