Fear Thy Neighbor (64)

“I’ve just met the woman, but I trust you know her well enough.”

“I just met her a couple days ago myself. For some reason, we clicked. Like we’d known each other a long time. She’s a good person, I can tell. Maybe her gift allows her to . . . I don’t know, relax now that she knows Renée is safe. Again, I’m just assuming most of this.”

“I get it. As long as the kid makes it home safely, that’s all that truly matters.” Kit placed an arm across her shoulder. He was so tall, she had to lean her head all the way back to look up at him.

“We better get back inside before whoever was at the bait shop sees us lingering on the beach this time of night,” Ali said, even though it was not what she wanted to do. She could spend all night listening to Kit or just being next to him. There was something special between them. Her question was: Was it special enough to survive a long-distance relationship?

“Let’s go,” he said, then guided her up the stairs to the deck. “You know what would be nice before we call it a night?”

Several images crossed her mind. “You tell me.”

“A drink, maybe? A glass of wine.”

“I guess,” she said, then explained, “I’m not much of a drinker, so I’d be clueless as to what kind of wine is appropriate for this time of night.”

“Whatever you like. And if it’s not your thing, have a soda,” he said. He was so unlike the few trashy dates she’d had who guzzled beer after beer, insisting she keep up with them, and then always stuck her with the tab. No more, she thought. Kit was a true gentleman.

“I’ll see what Val has open,” she said, quietly slipping into the house and opening the fridge door. Spying a bottle of white wine, she took a bottle of water for herself and found a paper cup among Val’s supply of paper goods. She poured a generous amount into the cup before returning the bottle to the fridge. She hoped Val didn’t think she was taking advantage of this unusual situation. She could replace the wine but didn’t want to imagine losing her newfound friendship.

She found Kit seated in a deck chair with a small table beside it. She set the cup down, taking the deck chair beside him. “It’s nice, huh?” she said, indicating the view.

“The best. This little strip of beach was my playground as a kid.”

Surprised, Ali asked, “Did you live in one of these houses?” Most of them looked fairly new to her, though it was possible that any of the houses could have been updated.

“It’s been torn down and remodeled. The empty place in front of yours was our land.”

“I bet it’s strange to see it all now, modern with all that glass,” she said.

“Yeah, it’s nice. Our place was old, like your cottage. If I’m not mistaken, both were built around the same time, in the early sixties. A little before our time.” He took a sip of wine. “They don’t build homes like those anymore.”

Ali nodded, then took a sip of water. “I don’t know too much about building or remodeling, even though I’ve spent plenty of time watching all those television programs that knock down dumps and rebuild mansions.” Her words sounded doltish, and she felt ignorant.

Kit laughed. “I like how succinct you are. Don’t see many women like you,” he said, still smiling so she didn’t take too much offense to his words.

“It’s a good thing, right?” She just needed to confirm he wasn’t making fun of her. Ali wouldn’t be able to stand it if he were. She wanted him in her life. Never having had such sudden feelings for a man, she felt utterly and completely vulnerable.

“Very, especially because I appreciate the fact we’re alike in that sense. No bull, just the two of us,” he said, then took another drink.

She was relieved, but her insecure side needed to hear more—promises, details on their future, if this was going to be a summer fling or not. She’d realized they’d just met, and the circumstances weren’t normal. Rushing into any kind of relationship with Kit probably wasn’t a good idea, but for once in her life, she wasn’t going to stress over what her future might be. Feeling such intense emotion was not her way. Yet here she was with a sexy, intelligent guy, secretly thrilled but afraid to say it, especially at such a horrific time.

“I don’t mince words,” was all she could come up with. If he knew what she was thinking, he’d probably run like a frightened animal. She smiled, remembering Peaches and her kittens.

“You know, you’re beautiful when you smile,” he told her. “That’s about as cliché as one can get.”

“What if I’m not smiling?” she asked, though she continued to smile at him.

“Stunning, mysterious, intriguing . . . I could go on if you’d like,” he told her. “You want to tell me what made you smile? I hope it was me, but something tells me it wasn’t.”

She told him about finding Peaches and her babies. “It was sheer luck when I saw that missing sign.”

“You love animals.”

“Yes, though I’ve never had a pet of my own. I plan on getting a dog when I’m settled in the cottage.”

“Best friend you’ll ever have.”

She started to speak but suddenly stopped when she heard a scream. “Did you hear that?”