Dean is my reality. The rest is just a nightmare.
Hand in hand, we walk through downtown Turner Cove like we’ve been doing this for years instead of days. People glance as we stroll, but I don’t pay them any mind. They want to talk? Let them talk. Not a damn thing they’re going to say that’s bad.
Dean is perfect for me, and how I never saw it before, I’ll never know.
“Pizza sound good?”
“Delicious.”
He squeezes my hand and guides me into Romano’s, our local hole-in-the-wall pizza joint run by a family who came here from Italy twelve years ago. They’re some of the nicest people on the planet and brought something other than fried food to our small town. Not that there’s anything wrong with fried food, of course.
It’s just nice to have a selection.
Dean pulls the door open for me and steps to the side so I can walk in ahead of him. The welcoming aromas of fresh baked pizza surround me as we survey the room for an empty red and white checkered table.
“Find a place to sit, and I’ll be with you in a moment,” a teenage girl says from beside another table.
“There,” Dean says quietly, gesturing to a booth toward the back of the restaurant. As we’re walking, we pass by a booth with an older couple and two young kids.
“Hi!” The older woman stops me with a greeting, and it takes me a minute to recognize her as the Uber driver who picked me up and drove me to the party in Tallahassee.
“Oh my gosh! Hi!” I beam at her. “I’m so happy you stopped by.”
“Well, after the way you made it sound, how could I not? I don’t remember if I ever introduced myself, so if I didn’t, I’m Betty. This is my husband, Gean, and our grandkids, Pauline and Isabella.”
The two girls smile and wave, and I return the gesture. “I’m Kleo, and this is my boyfriend, Dean.”
“So nice to meet you. Kleo was the sweetest girl I’ve ever had the pleasure of driving anywhere.”
“She’s pretty great,” Dean says with a smile.
“Well, I’ll let you two enjoy your evening. It was so good to see you again,” she says.
“If you guys are up for it, feel free to come by the Turner Cove Summer Camp tomorrow. We aren’t open yet, but we’d love to show you around. We have a private beach as well if you’re up for some swimming.” Dean’s kind offer warms my heart, and I beam at Betty.
“Really? That would be great.”
“Thank you.” Gean reaches over and shakes Dean’s hand.
“You’re welcome. You can google us for the address.”
“Will do. Thanks again.”
“You guys have a good night,” I say, and Dean and I continue our walk to the table as the excited chatter of Betty and Gean’s granddaughters follows us.
I slide into the far side of the booth, and Dean slides in beside me, his arm resting on the seat behind my head.
“Hi, guys,” the teenage girl who greeted us when we came in walks over and sets two menus down in front of us. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Just water, please,” I reply.
“Same.”
“You got it.” She turns to leave, and Dean kisses the side of my head before removing his arm from behind me and lifting his menu.
“What should we have?”
“Anything with pepperoni,” I say. “And jalapeños.”
Dean lifts an eyebrow. “Jalapeños?”
“I like a little spice in my life.”
He smirks. “So I’ve noticed. Pepperoni and jalapeño it is.”
“So,” I start once the waitress has delivered our waters and taken our order. “Tell me something about you, Dean.”
“What do you want to know? I feel like you pretty much know everything about me. We did grow up in the same town.”
“Yeah, but I was gone for six years. Tell me stuff I wouldn’t otherwise know.”
“Well, I went to college for business and minored in psychology.”
“Really?”
He nods. “I wanted to help soldiers coming back from war. I figured if I got my business degree, I could open up a place where they could come to decompress.”
“Like a spa for dudes.”
He snorts. “Yeah, something like that.”
“I think that’s great.” It’s so fitting for him, too. I was young so I can’t remember much from when his dad died, but I do remember when my mom told me about it. I was in first or second grade, and she invited him and his mom over for dinner. I’d very rudely asked where his dad was, and voila, the first time Kleo made an ass of herself.
“Yeah?”
“I guess that kinda got derailed with me bailing on the camp.”
“Not derailed, just postponed.”
A twinge of worry makes my stomach twist. “Are you planning on leaving Turner Cove?”
He meets my gaze and reaches down, lifting my hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the inside of my wrist. It sends a shiver of desire straight through me, eliminating the worry. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I cross my legs in a feeble attempt to relieve some of the throbbing.
“What about you?” he asks.
“I really don’t think you want to hear about me.”
“I do. Tell me.”
“Uh, well, after—you know—I ended up drinking a lot. I partied constantly, tried to distract myself, and ended up doing a lot of dumb shit. The end.”
Dean squeezes my hand gently. “What about this? What’s the story with it?” He reaches down with his free hand and trails a finger up my thigh, lifting my dress just enough to bare the dream catcher inked on my skin.
“With all the nightmares I was having, I wanted something to make me feel strong. To maybe catch them before they got to me.” Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Pretty damned stupid, I guess.”
“Not stupid. It’s beautiful.”
I smile up at him. “Thanks.”
29
Dean
“Thanks for dinner.”
“You’re welcome. Thanks for the company.” We passed my truck a few yards back, but I’m not quite ready for this night to end.
“I never imagined it would be so hard to come home.”
I squeeze her hand but don’t speak.
“I still see him everywhere.”
“Then maybe you should start making new memories.” I stop her just outside the Turner Cove Garden Center, turning her to face me. She looks up at me, and I reach up to trail my thumb down her cheek. “So, instead of seeing him anywhere, you can picture me.” I lean down and kiss her jaw, lingering and letting my breath wash over her skin.
“I think that’s a good plan,” she replies breathlessly.
“I know I can’t erase what happened to you, but I want you to know that I’ll keep you safe, Kleo.”
She grins up at me. “I know you will.” Her gaze drops, and her eyes widen. Face paling, she stares at something behind me. I turn but don’t see anything but the shadows.
“Kleo, what’s wrong?”