Travis stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. Gabby shrugged. “But as I grew older, I began to realize that it was more my mom’s dream than my own. She always wanted to live in one of those homes, and I remember the way she used to badger my dad to put in an offer whenever one was for sale. My dad did well, don’t get me wrong, but I could tell it always bothered him that he couldn’t afford one of the really grand houses, and after a while, it just rubbed me the wrong way.” She paused. “Anyway, I guess I wanted something different. Which led, of course, to college and PA school and Kevin. And here I am.”
From a distance, they heard Moby begin barking frantically, the sound followed by the faint rustling of claws on bark. Glancing at the large oak tree near the hedges, Travis watched as a squirrel raced up the trunk. Though he couldn’t see him, he knew that Moby was still circling the oak, thinking that somehow the critter would lose its grip. Noticing that Gabby had turned at the sound, Travis raised his glass in that direction.
“My dog is crazy about chasing squirrels. He seems to regard it as his life’s purpose.”
“Most dogs do.”
“Does Molly?”
“No. Her owner has a bit more control over her, and she nipped that little problem in the bud before it got out of hand.”
“I see,” Travis said with mock seriousness.
Over the water, the first brilliant act of the sun’s descent was beginning. In another hour the creek would turn golden, but for now there was something dark and mysterious about its brackish color. Beyond the cypress trees lining the bank, Travis could see an osprey floating on updrafts and watched as a small motorboat loaded with fishing gear puttered past. It was captained by someone old enough to be Travis’s grandfather, and the gentleman waved. Travis returned the greeting, then took another drink.
“With all you said, I’m curious as to whether you can imagine yourself staying in Beaufort.”
She thought about her answer, sensing there was more to the question than it appeared.
“I suppose that depends,” she finally hedged. “It’s not exactly exciting, but on the other hand, it’s not a bad place to raise a family.”
“And that’s important?”
She turned toward him with a faint air of challenge. “Is there anything more important?”
“No,” he agreed evenly, “there isn’t. I’m evidence of that belief because I lived it. Beaufort is the kind of place where Little League baseball generates more conversation than the Super Bowl, and I like thinking that I can raise my kids where the little world they live in is all they know. Growing up, I used to think that this was the most boring place in the world, but when I think back, I realize that the corollary to that was that anything exciting meant that much more to me. I never grew jaded, the way so many city kids do.” He paused. “I remember going fishing with my dad every Saturday morning, and even though my dad was just about the worst fisherman who ever baited a hook, I found it thrilling. Now I understand that for my dad, at least, it was all about spending time with me, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that. I like thinking that I can give my kids the same kinds of experiences someday.”
“It’s nice to hear you say something like that,” Gabby said. “A lot of people don’t think that way.”
“I love this town.”
“Not that,” she said, smiling. “I was talking about the way you wanted to raise your kids. It seems like you’ve given it a lot of thought.”
“I have,” he conceded.
“You always have a way of surprising me, don’t you.”
“I don’t know. Do I?”
“A little. The more I’ve gotten to know you, the more you’ve come to strike me as impossibly well-adjusted.”
“I could say the same about you,” he responded. “Maybe that’s why we get along so well.”
She stared at him, feeling the crackle of tension between them. “You ready for dinner yet?”
He swallowed, hoping she couldn’t sense his feelings for her. “That sounds great,” he forced out.
Taking their wineglasses, they returned to the kitchen. Gabby motioned for Travis to sit at the table while she got things ready, and as he watched her move around the kitchen, he felt a sense of contentment settle upon him.
At dinner, he ate two pieces of chicken, enjoyed the green beans and the pasta, and complimented Gabby extravagantly on her cooking, until she giggled, begging him to stop. He asked her repeatedly about her childhood in Savannah, and she finally relented, regaling him with a couple of girlhood stories that made them both chuckle. In time, the sky turned gray and blue and finally black. The candles burned lower, and they poured the last of the wine into their glasses, both aware that they were sitting across from a person who just might change the course of their lives forever if they weren’t careful.
After dinner was over and Travis helped Gabby clean up, they retreated to the couch, nursing their wine and sharing stories from their pasts. Gabby tried to imagine Travis as a young boy, wondering also what she would have thought about him had they met during her high school or college years.
As the evening wore on, Travis inched closer, casually slipping his arm around her. Gabby leaned into him, feeling snug against him, content to watch the play of silver moonlight as it filtered through the clouds.
“What are you thinking about?” Travis asked at one point, breaking a particularly long yet comfortable silence.
“I was thinking how natural this whole weekend has seemed.” Gabby looked at him. “Like we’ve known each other forever.”
“I guess that means a couple of my stories were boring, huh?”
“Don’t underestimate yourself,” she teased. “Lots of your stories were boring.”
He laughed, pulling her tighter. “The more I get to know you, the more you surprise me. I like that.”
“What are neighbors for?”
“Is that still all I am to you? Just a neighbor?”
She glanced away without responding, and Travis went on. “I know it makes you uncomfortable, but I can’t leave tonight without telling you that just being neighbors isn’t enough for me.”
“Travis . . .”
“Let me finish, okay?” he said. “Earlier today, when we talked, you told me how much you’d missed having friends around, and I’ve been thinking about that ever since, but not in the way that you probably imagine. It made me realize that even though I have friends, I’ve been missing something that all my friends do have. Laird and Allison, Joe and Megan, Matt and Liz, all have each other. I don’t have that in my life, and until you came along, I wasn’t sure I even wanted it. But now . . .”
She picked at the beadwork on her shirt, resisting his words and yet welcoming them, too.
“I don’t want to lose you, Gabby. I can’t imagine seeing you walk to your car in the morning and pretending that none of this ever happened. I can’t imagine not sitting here with you on the couch, like we’re doing now.” He swallowed. “And right now, I can’t imagine being in love with any other woman.”
Gabby wasn’t sure she’d heard him right, but when she saw the way he was staring at her, she knew he meant it. And with that, she felt the last of her defenses falling away and knew she had fallen in love with him as well.
The grandfather clock chimed in the background. Candlelight flickered on the walls, casting shadows around the room. Travis could sense the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, and they continued to stare at each other, neither one of them able to speak.
The phone rang, shattering her thoughts, and Travis turned away. Gabby leaned forward and reached for the portable phone. She answered, her voice betraying nothing.
“Oh, hey, how are you? . . . Not much . . . Uh-huh . . . I was running some errands. . . . What’s been going on there?”
As she listened to Kevin’s voice, a rush of guilt washed over her. Yet she found herself reaching over and placing a hand on Travis’s leg. He hadn’t moved or made a sound, and she could feel the muscles tense beneath his jeans as she ran her hand along his thigh.
“Oh, that’s great. Congratulations. I’m glad you won . . . sounds like you had fun. . . . Oh, me? Nothing too exciting.”
Hearing Kevin’s voice while being so close to Travis was pulling her in two directions. She tried to concentrate and listen to Kevin, while sorting through what had just happened with Travis. The situation was too surreal to absorb.
“I’m sorry to hear that. . . . I know, I get sunburned, too. . . . Uh-huh . . . uh-huh . . . Yes, I’ve thought about the trip to Miami, but I don’t get any vacation days until the end of the year. . . . Maybe, I don’t know. . . .”
She released Travis’s leg and leaned back against the couch, trying to keep her voice steady, wishing she hadn’t answered, wishing he hadn’t called. Knowing she was only becoming more confused. “We’ll see, okay? We’ll talk about it when you get back. . . . No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired, I guess. . . . No, nothing to worry about. It’s been a long weekend. . . .”
It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth, either, and she knew it, which made her feel even worse. Travis was staring downward, listening but pretending not to.
“I will,” she went on. “Yeah, you, too . . . Uh-huh . . . yeah, I should be around. . . . Okay . . . I do, too. And have fun tomorrow. Bye.”
Hanging up the phone, she seemed preoccupied for a moment before leaning forward and putting the handset on the table. Travis knew enough not to say anything.
“That was Kevin,” she finally said.
“I figured,” Travis said, unable to read her expression.
“He won the best ball tournament today.”
“Good for him.”
Again, a silence descended between them.
“I think I need some fresh air,” she finally said, rising from the couch. She made her way to the sliding glass door and stepped outside.
Travis watched her go, wondering if he should join her or whether she needed to be alone. From his spot on the couch, her image against the railing was shadowed. He could imagine heading out to join her, only to hear her suggest that it might be best if he left, and though the thought frightened him, he needed to be with her, now more than ever.
He made his way out the door and joined her against the rail. In the moonlight, her skin was pearly, her eyes darkly luminous.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be. There’s nothing for you to be sorry for.” She forced a smile. “It’s my fault, not yours. I knew what I was getting into.”
Gabby could sense that he wanted to touch her, but she was torn about whether she wanted him to. She knew she should end this, that she shouldn’t let the evening progress any further, but she couldn’t break the spell that Travis’s declaration had cast over her. It didn’t make sense. It took time to fall in love, more time than a single weekend, yet somehow, despite her feelings for Kevin, it had happened. She sensed Travis’s nervousness as he stood beside her, and she watched him fortify himself with a last sip of wine.
“Did you mean what you said earlier?” she asked. “About wanting a family?”
“Yes, I did.”
“I’m glad,” she said. “Because I think you’d be a great father. I didn’t tell you before, but that’s what I thought when I saw you with the kids yesterday. You seemed so natural with them.”
“I’ve had a lot of experience with puppies.”
Despite the tension, she laughed. She took a small step closer to him, and when he turned to face her, she slipped her arms around his neck. She could hear the little voice inside warning her to stop, telling her that it still wasn’t too late to end this. But another urge had taken hold of her, and she knew it was pointless to deny it.
“Maybe so, but I thought it was sexy,” she whispered.
Travis pulled her tight against him, noticing how her body seemed to fit against his. He could smell a trace of jasmine perfume on her, and as they stood holding each other, his senses seemed to come alive. He felt as if he’d reached the end of a long journey, unaware until this moment that Gabby had been his destination all along. When he whispered, “I love you, Gabby Holland,” against her ear, he’d never felt more sure about anything.
Gabby sank into him.
“I love you, too, Travis Parker,” she whispered, and as they stood in each other’s arms, Gabby couldn’t imagine wanting anything more than what was happening now, all regrets and reservations swept aside.
He kissed her, then kissed her again and again, leisurely exploring her neck and collarbone before rising to meet her lips once more. She ran her hands over his chest and shoulders, feeling the strength in the arms that held her, and when he buried his fingers in her hair, she shivered, knowing that this was what the weekend had been building toward all along.
They kissed on the deck for a long time. Finally she pulled back, and took his hand to lead him inside, past the living room and toward the bedroom. She motioned toward the bed, and as Travis lay down, she pulled a lighter from the drawer and proceeded to light the candles she’d set out earlier. Her bedroom, dark at first, gave way to a flickering glow that bathed her in liquid gold.
With shadows accentuating her every movement, Travis watched as Gabby crossed her arms, reaching for the hem of her shirt. With a single movement, she pulled the shirt over her head. Her br**sts pressed against the satin outline of her bra, and her hands drifted slowly downward to the snap on her jeans. A moment later, she stepped out of the crumpled pile at her feet.
Travis was mesmerized as she moved toward the bed and playfully pushed him onto his back. She began to undo the buttons on his shirt and pulled it over his shoulders. As he wiggled his arms free, she undid the snap on his jeans, and a moment later, he felt the heat from her belly as it slid against his own.