Yes, time to look toward a future and let the dead rest in peace.
Chapter Sixteen
Bella
“You didn’t have to blindfold me.” Bella touched the silk scarf wrapped around her head for the tenth time. She sniffed the air but didn’t smell salt water, though she did smell water. Since they had taken the golf cart, she deduced that they were probably by the lake at the top of the development. There were several lots up here, each one with a private dock, as well as a residents’ dock where anyone who lived in The Cove could tie a boat or a seaplane.
“What good is a surprise if you see it coming?” Adam’s deep chuckle was familiar now, and it made her laugh as well.
“You can’t surprise me. I know every inch of The Cove.” And she was darn proud of it too. The work she did each day had real, tangible results that meant something to the people who lived here. Procuring the proper permits for a helipad or stable produced a building she could point at and say,I had a hand in making that possible. Which was pretty darn cool.
The golf cart drifted to a stop, and Adam tugged at the ends of her blindfold, letting it fall away. Bella blinked several times against the sunlight, her gaze automatically going to Adam first. His hands were folded over the steering wheel, his corded forearms teasing out of the rolled-up dress shirt. He’d been climbing every day for two weeks now, and the results were easy to spot. Besides his increase in muscles mass, which was impressive on its own, he was calmer, kinder. Easier to talk to. Sweet enough to kiss.
Bella ripped her eyes away from Adam and turned them towards the lake.
They’d had days and days of rain and wind. With the castle situated on the cliff, it took the brunt of all weather, the windows rattling when the thunder crashed. But today was a different kind of day. The air smelled of new beginnings and the temperature hinted at spring, even though they were more than a month off from blooms and blossoms. She watched Adam as he surveyed his secret project, the one he’d kept from her since he’d taken over some of the planning details of The Cove. Mere days had passed since his offer to take some of her load so she could study more—a week at most.
“I thought we’d go fishing.” He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners and sparkling with delight. He lifted a hand and pointed out towards the lake, where a large water truck was spilling something into the water.
Bella leaned forward. “Is that … trout?”
“Rainbow trout, to be specific.” Adam waved to the Fish & Game workers. The foreman waved back. “I hear they’re delicious.”
“Can you actually fish here?” Bella hadn’t looked into the legalities of any of this because Adam had it in hand. Her stomach churned at the idea that one of the residents would get into trouble with the law because she hadn’t done her homework.
“I still own the lake, which makes it private property.”
“So …” Bella needed to hear the specifics.
“So as long as you’re not trespassing, you’re fine.”
“Oh.” She settled back into her seat. “Good.”
Adam glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “You’re going to look it up when we get back, aren’t you?”
She wilted. “I have to see the statute number.”
He threw his head back and laughed at the same time he pressed the accelerator. “Well, you’ll have to wait a little longer, because we’re having lunch.” He took them over a small rise, and below them was a stunning gazebo situated right on the edge of the lake.
Bella’s breath caught in her throat. The gleaming white posts and the shaker roof were accented by the cupola sporting a weather vane. “How did you …?”
Adam grinned.
She shook her head. It seemed Adam knew how to get things done. He probably had a crew up here night and day.
Sitting on this side of him, she’d never know he’d been attacked by that man. But even sitting on the other side, where the scars were visible, he was the most handsome man she’d ever known. He’d taken to coming to the library to read while she studied in the evenings. Or maybe he always read in there at night and she was the one intruding. Either way, she was glad to have someone around; it didn’t make her feel so alone, even if he rarely spoke.
When Adam dipped his head down to concentrate on his book, his hair fell over his forehead in the most distracting way, and she had to fight to keep from brushing it back for him. When it fell forward now, he flicked it away. “I’m a man of many talents.”
She smiled, using the handle to pull herself out of the cart. She walked in a big circle around the gazebo, taking in the small details that came together to make a beautiful structure. The building could easily hold a hundred people, and yet it felt intimate. “This would be the perfect place for a wedding.” Her cheeks grew warm. She shouldn’t mention things like weddings around Adam. Not when her heart fluttered at his touch. She had thought about him in a forever sense, but she wouldn’t dare let those thoughts out in the light of day.
“You said the same thing about the beach.” He leaned against a pillar and folded his arms.
Bella came inside and found that what she’d thought were open archways could be closed off by sliding glass doors into place. “I’m not wrong.” She smiled easily and headed for the small cluster of furniture on the other side of the pavilion. There, she found a wicker couch and a glass-top table loaded with fruits, veggies, and finger sandwiches à la Mrs. Poole.
Adam gestured for her to sit first, and he poured them some sparkling cider. He didn’t drink. Mrs. Poole said his father had drunk too much, and Bella got the feeling that he wanted nothing to do with his dad.
Bella took her glass with a thank-you. “I’m guessing there are heaters in here somewhere.” She couldn’t see any vents, but the chill that had chased them across The Cove stayed outside.
