Slowly, Daniel laid the hatchet down inside the charred rut he’d created in the cedar trunk and came around to stand before her, sweat gleaming on his collarbones and in the hollow of his throat.
“I wasn’t, though.”
Annie’s gaze dropped. His lip was split where Ian had hit him, rightat the corner, and it was swollen, giving his mouth a slightly lopsided appearance.
She couldn’t stop the tears that brimmed over as she stared at him, at that split lip and the grazed skin on his shoulder where it had scraped the sidewalk. All at once, her anger flickered out like a snuffed candle, and she felt only guilt over the price he had paid for stopping the fight.
“You’re such an idiot,” she whispered, voice choked with emotion as her hand moved without her permission, her fingers stretching upward to touch the broken corner of his mouth.
Daniel flinched in pain, but did not back away, and Annie moved her hand to the back of his neck and pulled his head down toward hers. Some dam of willpower in her had broken like a log in a fire, and for this one moment in time, she did not think about Jamie or Brendan or any of the consequences of what she was about to do. Instead, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.
In the silence around them, the fire crackled and a hawk called to its mate across the water, and then Daniel responded, gathering her in his arms and pulling her to his chest with the tenderness of a first breath.
Chapter 17ANNIE
Months ago, on a cloudless Thursday morning, Annie dropped her wedding ring into a street drain without a single ounce of regret. She’d listened to it ping against the grate on its way down before she continued on her way, vowing off men with a vehemence that felt permanent. The sewer could have it, for all she believed in love at that moment, but now, here she was—impossibly—on a first date once again.
The warm glow of sunset was eating steadily away at the late afternoon light as she angled the Jeep down the Proudys’ driveway and turned left toward Lake Lumin, nervously assessing her appearance in the rearview mirror.
The mascara was all right, darkening her eyes ever so slightly, but the lipstick was too much, and she quickly swiped the back of her hand across her mouth.
Better.
In the master bathroom Laura had made a fuss over Annie’s appearance, fluttering around the vanity like a mother hen. She’d sorted through hand creams, sleeping pills, and a bottle of milk of magnesia in the mirrored cabinet in search of an ancient tube of rose-coloredlipstick, which she dabbed on Annie’s lips before applying two quick swipes of mascara. As a finishing touch, she’d fixed a pair of small opal studs into her ears.
Annie hadn’t been entirely honest with Jake’s mother, saying that she was meeting a friend for dinner and wanted to look nice, but to her credit, Laura hadn’t pressed Annie to find out whom she was meeting, or why.
Before she left, passing through the garage on her way to her room, Walt had glanced up from his table saw and chuckled.
“All right, Miss Annie,” he said, eyes twinkling, “who’s the lucky fella?”
Halfway up the stairs, Annie sighed and turned back. “How’d you know it was a date?”
“Those are Laura’s date-night earrings.”
Annie’s face flushed and Walt shook his head.
“I won’t ask who you’re seeing, but… well, I’m happy for you, Annie. It’s not easy to put yourself out there again after a broken relationship. Believe it or not, I have a little bit of experience with that myself.”
Annie came down the stairs. “Honestly, Walt, it feels like a mistake. Like I’m just asking to get hurt again. It’s probably way too soon.”
Walt tilted his head, eyes full of the warmth she’d seen in her own father’s gaze so many times.
“You mind if I give you a little advice?”
Annie nodded.
“Relationships are a bit like the briars, Annie. You know, those sharp little brambles that this neck of the woods is known for. They’ll cut you up good before they give up their sweetest berries, but once you’ve got a pot of jam simmering on the stove and see those jars on your pantry shelves, you don’t think much about the pain, do you? There’s sweetness in life to be had, but sometimes you gotta get through the briars first.”
Annie’s eyes filled with tears as he spoke. “I’m glad you found some of that sweetness, at least.”
“That I have,” he said softly. “And you will, too.”
One of the tears spilled over, racing in a quick path to her jaw.
“Oh, now, I’m sorry.” He came around the table with another shake of his head. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“No.” Annie swiped at the tear that had fallen. “You didn’t upset me, it’s just… I have a feeling that’s exactly what my dad would have said if he was here.”
