Dogwood Hill Read online

  “And you left?” she demanded, regarding him incredulously.

  “I know it sounds cowardly, and it probably was, but I honestly think I’m the last person who can help her right now. I thought maybe you or Bree could check on her. Whatever happened, she may need to talk about it.”

  Shanna stood up at once. “On my way,” she said. “She’ll probably be here soon to open the store, but it would be better if I caught her at home. I’ll call Kevin and ask him to come in and cover for me till I get back.”

  She hesitated. “I don’t know what to do about Pet Style, though. She’s going to use opening up as an excuse not to talk to me.”

  “Do you have a key?” Aidan asked.

  She nodded. “She gave me one for emergencies.”

  “I helped her out Memorial Day weekend. I know the system. I can cover. Just give me a heads-up when you’re on your way and I’ll figure out a way to make myself scarce in case she doesn’t want to cross paths with me.”

  Shanna finally gave him a more approving look. “I take back all those mean thoughts I was having about you five minutes ago. You’re a very considerate man. You didn’t just run screaming for the hills when she had a meltdown, you had the good sense to come for me.”

  Aidan shrugged, not sure he deserved the praise. “I care about her, Shanna. I know she doesn’t want me to, but I do, even if it never develops into something more.”

  “Give me your cell number,” Shanna said. “I’ll call when we’re leaving the house or to let you know that she’s not coming in at all, if she decides she wants her part-time employee to finish out the day.”

  Aidan wrote it down for her. “Thanks, Shanna.”

  “Don’t thank me. I’m her friend. So are most of the women around here. We’ve got her back.” She handed Aidan the key to Pet Style. “I’ll let her know that you do, too.”

  He stood in the doorway to Liz’s shop and watched Shanna hurry off to her car, talking on her cell phone as she went. She might have been calling Kevin or rallying the troops. Either way, he knew Liz was going to be in good hands, with a much better support system than he might have provided in his own bumbling, if concerned, way.

  * * *

  The doorbell rang again and again, sending the dogs into a frenzy. Liz pulled a pillow over her head, but she couldn’t seem to block out the commotion.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she finally muttered, dragging herself off the bed and going to the door. Enough time had passed since she’d abandoned Aidan on the porch that she doubted it was him.

  She threw open the door, startled to see both Shanna and Bree there. She frowned at them.

  “Why are you here?” she asked as they marched determinedly right past her as if fearful she’d shut them out. Truthfully she’d been tempted to do just that.

  “Where else would we be in a crisis?” Bree asked.

  “What crisis?” Liz replied, though she was very much afraid she already knew. Aidan had gone for help, which, if she thought about it, was very sweet of him, but totally unnecessary. Her crisis was over.

  “Aidan told me he upset you. He thought you could use a friend,” Shanna told her. “From the looks of those puffy, red eyes, the least you could use is some help with makeup.”

  Liz was startled when a chuckle erupted. It was the first time since she’d found Aidan on her front steps that she’d felt at all like laughing.

  “Thanks for pointing out that I’m a wreck,” she said to her friend.

  Shanna grinned. “Always glad to help.”

  “Now, talk to us,” Bree commanded. “What did that slimebag do to upset you?”

  “Aidan is not a slimebag,” Liz said, rushing to his defense.

  Bree looked smug. “I wasn’t actually referring to Aidan, but it’s telling that you’re so very quick to defend him.”

  “This has something to do with what happened to you that sent you fleeing from North Carolina,” Shanna said, regarding her with a worried expression. “You didn’t leave just because your husband died in an accident, did you?”

  Liz closed her eyes. She really, really didn’t want to talk about this. “Not entirely, no,” she said eventually.

  “Sweetie, don’t you want to talk about it?” Bree asked. “It might be easier to move on if you got it off your chest. Who better to share this with than two people who care about you?”

  “What did Aidan tell you?”

  “Not a blessed thing,” Shanna said with unmistakable frustration. “Just that you were upset and might need a friend.”

  “So we both came,” Bree said cheerfully. “You need a friend in this town, you get a twofer. Sometimes more, but we decided not to overwhelm you by dragging everyone else who cares along with us.”

  Thank heaven for small favors, Liz thought. “Aidan really didn’t say anything?”

  “Honestly, no,” Shanna repeated. “Whatever you said to him, he kept to himself.”

  As badly as Liz wanted to hate him for forcing her to drag up old memories, she couldn’t help being impressed by his discretion and by his decision to send her friends over here in his place. “Look, if you’re worried that we’re going to share whatever you tell us with all of your friends, I promise that won’t happen,” Bree said. “We all love you and want to help, not to make things worse. You get to decide who knows what and when.”

  “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I really don’t want to talk about it with anyone,” Liz told them. “I’ve worked hard to put that time in my life behind me. Talking about it will only make it fresh.”

  “Or maybe it will help to share the burden and get a new perspective,” Shanna told her gently. “We don’t want to pry. And if you say that’s not what you need, we’ll respect it.”

  “But you need to know we’re here anytime you need us,” Bree added. “You’re not alone.”

  Tears welled up in Liz’s eyes yet again. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Shanna and Bree were by her side at once, pulling her into a fierce group hug that had the tears flowing even harder.

  “I swear if your husband weren’t already dead, I’d go after him myself,” Bree said.

  “How do you know what happened was his fault?” Liz asked, surprised by the ardent statement. “Maybe I’m the one to blame for everything that happened.”

  “Not buying that for a second,” Bree said. “We know who you are, Liz March. You’re a good person through and through. Whatever he did was all on him.”

  Liz regarded her friends with wonder. “How did I get to be so lucky?”

  “You came to the right town for your new life,” Shanna said simply. “I know all too well just what that means. Chesapeake Shores gave me a fresh start when I was down and desperate, too.”

  Liz knew Shanna was exactly right. Chesapeake Shores—and the O’Briens—were filled with healing warmth and compassion.

  * * *

  Aidan thought he was handling things at the store reasonably well, despite being distracted by worries about what might be going on at Liz’s.

  When Shanna finally poked her head in, he frowned. “I thought you were going to give me a heads-up when you left the house so I could take off. I need to be gone, if Liz is coming in.”

  “Actually she specifically asked that you stay. She wants to thank you.”

  “For what? Upsetting her?”

  “Probably not that,” Shanna said, smiling. “I’ll leave it to her to tell you what’s on her mind. She was taking a shower and getting dressed when Bree and I left. She should be here soon.”

  Aidan couldn’t seem to stop himself from asking, “How did it go over there? Did you get to the bottom of whatever’s going on?”

  “Even if we had, I wouldn’t share her private business with you, any more than you told me what sh
e said that got you to send me over there. I think she’s feeling better now. That’s all that matters.”

  It wasn’t all that mattered, Aidan thought, but it was obviously all Shanna was prepared to say. She waved goodbye and headed on to her own business. Bree popped in two seconds later.

  “You have good instincts, Aidan. Don’t give up on Liz.”

  He frowned at her. “She doesn’t want me in her life, at least not as anything more than a friend. She’s been pretty clear about that.”

  “And I’m telling you to stay the course,” Bree said, then winked at him. “I’m very wise about these things. Trust me.”

  Aidan wasn’t sure he could do that, but he might as well see how things played out. He’d already been drawn in, and, like it or not, that kiss had pretty well sealed the deal.

  He paced nervously behind the counter, regretting that it had been a slow morning so there were no customers to provide a distraction as he awaited Liz’s arrival.

  When she finally came in the door, he studied her intently. He could still detect traces of her tears, but otherwise she looked far more composed than she had the last time he’d seen her.

  She walked over to the counter, set down her purse and met his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

  He frowned. “Why are you apologizing to me? I’m the one who inadvertently reminded you of a bad time in your life. I should be apologizing.”

  A faint smile crossed her lips. “That’s the point. It was inadvertent. You couldn’t possibly know you were going to trigger an outburst like that just by suggesting that you thought we might have something special.”

  “Well, it’s true that your reaction was pretty unexpected,” he said, venturing a smile of his own. “Are you feeling better now?”

  “Less hostile, anyway,” she assured him. “In fact, I owe you big-time for sending Shanna to the house. She dragged Bree along. Their support was just what I needed.”

  “Did you talk to them?”

  “If you’re asking if I bared my soul, no. I really do want to leave my past where it belongs. I don’t see the point of dragging it out and dissecting it.”

  Aidan regarded her with regret. “I’m hardly an expert in this area, but it seems the past is right here, right now, standing between us. It’s not allowing you to move forward.”

  For an instant, she looked startled, but then she slowly nodded. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you’re probably right. I am allowing it to affect the choices I’m making. That’s probably not fair to you.”

  Aidan shook his head. “No, the person it’s most unfair to is you,” he corrected. “I know a thing or two about letting the past haunt you, Liz.”

  She frowned at that. “So, what are you suggesting? Should I spend years with a shrink trying to get to the bottom of it? Spill my guts to every person I meet until it no longer has the power to hurt me?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that,” he said candidly. “I just know that keeping it bottled up doesn’t really seem to be working all that well for you, not if it’s cutting you off from having the full life you deserve.”

  “Meaning a relationship with you?” she said, an edge back in her voice.

  “Meaning a relationship with anyone. How can you honestly have a real friendship with someone, much less anything deeper, if you’re holding some huge part of yourself back?”

  Even as he said the words, he realized they applied to him, as well. Shaken, he stepped out from behind the counter.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better now,” he told her. “There were a few sales earlier, but it’s been pretty quiet. If you have any questions, you know how to find me.”

  She gave him a puzzled look as he headed for the door. “Aidan, are we okay?”

  He turned back. “You mean do we understand each other?”

  She nodded.

  “Probably even more than you realize,” he said quietly. “Take care, Liz.”

  This time he was the one who walked away with a whole slew of conflicting emotions plaguing him, leaving Liz to stare after him with confusion written all over her face.

  12

  Aidan had very mixed feelings about the end of school. Even though he’d scheduled a few team meetings over the summer and arranged for the players to follow training and nutrition guidelines, he couldn’t help feeling as if way too much was being left until summer’s end. He suspected every high school coach, faced with the challenge of getting his kids ready for the new season, felt the same way.

  It helped a little that Porter Hobbs was finally on board with the change Aidan had recommended for Taylor. He’d stood on the sidelines at three straight practices and seen the way his son and Hector connected to make the kind of plays that could win a regional championship if the rest of the team played at their level. Of course, at this point that was a very big if.

  On the last day of practice, Hobbs had actually congratulated Aidan for spotting Taylor’s potential. Aidan knew it helped that Taylor was genuinely excited about the change and had become friends with both Hector and Henry. Aidan wasn’t sure how Hobbs felt about the friendship, but the trio were proving to be real team leaders.

  Aidan was in his office on Tuesday afternoon making his final notes for the year when the door opened and the three boys stuck their heads in.

  “Coach, do you have a minute?” Taylor asked.

  “Of course,” he said, leaning back and noting that they seemed to be surprisingly hesitant. “What’s on your mind?”

  “The team’s been talking,” Henry said, glancing at the others for affirmation. Hector and Taylor nodded.

  “We’d like to keep practicing this summer,” Henry continued. “I know it’s your vacation, but we know we have a lot of work to do. Team meetings won’t be nearly enough. Would you mind setting up a real training schedule and working with us?”

  “Just a couple of days a week,” Taylor suggested, then grinned. “It is summer vacation, after all, and we want to do fun stuff, too.”

  Hector followed up, his expression worried. “Only if it’s no trouble,” he added.

  Prepared for some sort of bad news, Aidan was stunned by the request and the initiative they’d shown. He regarded the three of them with astonishment. “Whose idea was this?”

  “Mine,” Taylor said, looking embarrassed. “I should have thought of it last year.”

  “You’d just made the varsity team,” Aidan reminded him. “You’d probably barely found your way to the locker room.”

  Taylor laughed. “Are you kidding me? My dad’s been taking me through the locker room and the stadium since it was built. I think it was a hint.”

  “More than likely,” Aidan agreed, imagining all the ways Hobbs had gone about putting added pressure on his son. “Is the entire team on board with this?”

  Henry nodded, his whole demeanor suggesting their eagerness for him to agree. “We want to win next season and we’re starting to believe we can.”

  “Good,” Aidan told him. “Because I believe it. Let me speak to Rob about the policy. I don’t know if official team practices are allowed or any of the other implications about holding a school activity during summer break. I’ll do my best to figure out something that won’t break any rules.”

  The boys immediately exchanged excited high fives.

  “No matter what I find out,” he told them, “I’m very impressed by your enthusiasm. That’s the kind of commitment it takes to be winners. I want you to tell your teammates that. I’ll be in touch in a day or two, as soon as I see what can be worked out.”

  “Thanks, Coach,” Taylor said, leading the others from Aidan’s office.

  He leaned back in his chair, a smile spreading across his face. If enthusiasm and commitment were the only keys, this team was going places. Best of all, he’d seen
glimpses of the raw talent it would take to get them there.

  * * *

  Liz thought a lot about what Aidan had said about the inability to truly move forward if the past maintained a stranglehold on her emotions. She found herself wanting to talk to him more about that, and about why he seemed to know so much about it. Was it because of whatever she’d sensed he was holding back about some prior relationship with the O’Briens? He claimed not to have one, but more than once his body language and odd reticence when the name was mentioned suggested otherwise. Still, it was hard for her to imagine bad blood that no one on the O’Brien side seemed aware of.

  On Wednesday morning, Archie was freshly bathed, his toys assembled in a big basket. All of the dogs seemed to understand that today was a momentous day. They sat watchfully by on the warm June morning as she waited for Aidan’s arrival to pick up Archie.

  At eight-thirty, just when she was beginning to think he’d either forgotten or was intentionally avoiding her deadline, she spotted him coming up the street. Archie, of course, made a dash for him. For once she saw no point in reprimanding him. From here on out, Archie was Aidan’s responsibility.

  Tail wagging, the dog happily followed him back to the porch, then dutifully sat down as Aidan settled into a chair next to Liz.

  “You ready to become a pet owner?” she asked, smiling.

  He glanced at her. “Do I have a choice?”

  She frowned at the glib response. “Of course. If you really, really hate the idea, Archie can stay here,” she said, then turned to the dog. “But look at him.”

  Archie was regarding Aidan with that familiar look of pure adoration. “Can you really turn your back on that?” she asked.

  Aidan instinctively reached out to pet the dog’s head. “No, of course not, although I think you’re underestimating his attachment to you.”

  “Of course he loves me,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve been feeding him and taking care of him. You’re the one he’s truly bonded with, though. I think he knows you’ll take him on runs and give him treats from the table that he shouldn’t have.”