Three minutes later, when Devyn joined him at the exit, he had his emotions in hand.
He hoped.
After pushing the door open, Aaron waited until she walked through, then followed close behind.
“Much better.” She lifted her face to the sky. Inhaled. “It was getting stuffy in there.”
“The air—and the people.”
Her mouth quirked. “Your words, not mine. But I concur.”
“Shall we claim that bench?” He pointed to one about halfway between the banquet center and the lighthouse that would offer a panoramic vista of the sea.
“Works for me.”
She started down the gravel path, giving the deserted headland a sweep as he fell in beside her. “I’m surprised no one else had this idea.”
“No complaints from me. This kind of beauty is best enjoyed in solitude, or with someone who’s simpatico.”Too personal,Steele. Be careful. “Or someone who enjoys nature.”
“I qualify on that score. I remember coming up here as a childwith my dad and Lauren. It felt like being on the top of the world. On a sunny day, the sea sparkled as if it had been strewn with diamonds, and the sapphire sky was dotted with cotton ball clouds. It was always—” She slowed as two seagulls swooped in and landed in front of the bench they’d targeted. “It appears we aren’t the only ones after that spot.”
“They may have gotten there first, but we’re bigger.” He continued forward. “Besides, they’ll probably fly off as we get closer.”
They didn’t.
Instead, they waddled several feet away, hunkered down close together, and watched them approach with unblinking eyes.
After skirting around the duo, Devyn lowered herself to the bench, keeping tabs on the pair. “I can’t believe they didn’t take off.”
“They may be used to people if they hang around up here.” He joined her on the bench, maintaining a discreet distance. “They could be hoping for a handout.”
“If that’s the case, they’re out of luck.”
One of gulls cackled and nudged his companion.
“At least they seem to have a sense of humor.” Aaron rested his arm along the back of the bench, his fingers a whisper away from her shoulder. From temptation.
She scanned the view again. “Dad always told us you could see to forever from up here.” There was a wistful note in her inflection.
“It feels like that on a clear day.” He crossed an ankle over his knee. Since she’d brought up her family, maybe this could be an opportunity to satisfy his curiosity about her enigmatic expression the day she’d treated him and Isabel to breakfast, when she’d told him her mother lived in Paris. An expression that had suggested there was something missing in their relationship.
Keeping his tone conversational, he took a step onto what could be shaky ground. “Did your mom join you?”
“No. She wasn’t a nature lover.” No hesitation in Devyn’s matter-of-fact response. “She preferred indoor pursuits like artand music and theater. She was also into hair and fashion and makeup.”
“My memory of her is vague, but I do recall she always had an aura of glamour.”
Devyn’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “She’d be happy to hear her efforts to cultivate a polished image worked.”
Which begged another question. One requiring careful setup.
“From what I knew of your dad, he was a salt-of-the-earth kind of guy without an ounce of pretense. He drove a truck his whole life, right?”
“Yes.”
As he paused to frame the question forming in his mind, Devyn saved him the trouble. “You’re wondering how they ended up together.”
“It does seem like a curious pairing.”
