I looked to the owner, annoyed, and my heart sank.
“Hey!” Joe said.
“Oh. Hi.”
The dog jumped up, getting sandy paws all over me, and Joe yanked on the leash. “Jax, get down! I’m sorry. She’s friendly, I swear.”
Jax beamed up at me, her tongue lolling out of her mouth, and I couldn’t help but grin back and pet her head. “It’s okay. I need a shower anyway.”
He smiled. “How was your night? Everything all right at the cottage?”
“Yup. All good.”
Joe ran the hand not holding the leash along the back of his neck, showing off the well-formed biceps I did not want to notice. My body wasn’t letting me ignore how good-looking this guy was, even if my brain wanted nothing to do with him. “So, um, your grandmother asked me to come by later.”
“Okay.” He looked up at me, and I tried not to flinch. I was going for neutral but came across as a little hostile.
“She . . . Well, she wanted me to show you around a bit.”
My shoulders slumped. Of course she did. She was as subtle as a tsunami. “You really don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind.”
“No, I mean—she doesn’t want you to show me around. She’s trying to set us up.”
“She said—”
“She lies. That’s what she does. And I’m sure you’re great and all. Actually, I’m not—she set me up with a couple of jerks when I was younger, but you seem nice.” I was babbling and told myself to shut up. “Anyway, I’m in the middle of a divorce right now, and I’m not looking to date anyone. Or—whatever it would be—for a week.”
“Uh . . . I think she actually just wanted me to show you around so you wouldn’t be alone while she sees some old friends.”
I felt myself blushing and tried to discreetly look at his left hand. It’d be just my luck if he was married and I misread the whole thing. No, there was no ring, which didn’t mean anything. But now he thought I was a total loser who couldn’t entertain herself.
“You still don’t need to do that. I don’t mind just hanging out on the beach.”
He shrugged, looking amused. “Have you tried saying no to your grandmother? Maybe you’ll have better luck than I do. If not, I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
“I . . . uh, okay.” He had a point there.
Chuckling lightly, he scratched behind Jax’s ears, then pulled her out of my way. “Enjoy the rest of your run. The Inn has good coffee if you want to grab some.”
“I didn’t bring my wallet. But I had some at the cottage. I’m fine.”
“Just tell them you’re Evelyn’s granddaughter. They won’t let you pay.” I started to ask what that meant, but he said he would see me later and jogged off toward the jetty.
I rubbed at my tense shoulders, brushed the sandy paw prints off my leggings, and started back. Apparently I did need to shower. And have a talk with my grandmother.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
July 1950
Hereford, Massachusetts
“Your brother came to see me,” Tony said by way of a greeting as Evelyn came down the dirt road. He was leaning on the car, arms crossed.
“I know. He caught me sneaking in last night.” She moved to kiss him, but he turned his head, and she caught his cheek instead. Taking his face in her hand, she turned his chin, so he had to look at her. “That bad?”
“We can’t sneak around like this.”
Evelyn leaned on the car next to him, copying his body language with an exaggeratedly gruff facial expression. He looked over at her, and she furrowed her brow further until he finally cracked a small smile. “We’re not sneaking around. We’re just . . . not telling people yet. And then when I leave for school, we won’t have to.” Her looming departure both excited and terrified Evelyn, though she would never admit to the latter. While it would be easier to slip out of a women’s dormitory than her parents’ house when there wasn’t the chaos of summer, she knew Tony wouldn’t be able to make the two-hour drive to see her often. And once again, she wondered if she wouldn’t be better off transferring closer.
“I don’t want to feel like I’m a criminal for being with you.”
“Is that what Bernie said? He’s so dramatic. I’m turning eighteen this month!”
“Your father—”
“My father loves me. And he’s going to come around. We just need to give him time.”