Moment in Time, book 1 of the Summer House Series

Chapter Eight

Copyright 2015 Lisa Mondello (All Rights Reserved)

Chapter Eight

Bobby

As I walk out the lobby doors, I see the lilacs in front of the Wayside Inn are in full bloom. I still remember when Aunt Beverly planted them and then was devastated when some ignorant shit in town berated her for planting something not native to the island. Who the fuck was that woman anyway? She didn't own the place. That was a long time ago when I was young. Before the military. Before Donna and Wyatt.

Slipping on my sunglasses as I walk down the path to the parking lot, I see the window boxes in front of the offices still have pansies in them. Pretty soon, Aunt Beverly will take them out and put in pink and white impatiens. The wild roses Aunt Bev loved so much were still green with foliage, but perfectly manicured in preparation for their summer blooms. I don't know why she bothers to hire a gardener for the Inn when she insists on doing so much of it herself. But I suppose the grounds are big enough that she'd have a hard time doing it all, plus keeping up with the properties she owned.

I hadn't seen much of Aunt Beverly since Jenna had arrived two weeks ago. Jenna had her work to do during the day. I had my therapy on my leg, which was getting stronger each day. And then at night, we'd make love—okay, amazing-mind-explosive-sex—for hours. I shake my head as I press the unlock button on my keychain. I couldn't get enough of Jenna. Maybe it was just me making up for lost time after being in an empty desert, both physically and emotionally. Whatever it was, it was great and I couldn't wait to see Jenna again.

Today she has a day off and we promised each other we'd spend the whole day together. The sun was shining and it was a hot May day. Perfect for a bike ride. I drive over to The Bluffs and find Jenna waiting for me on the front porch. When she sees me, her whole face lights up with a radiant smile that I feel right down to my bones. As she jumps off the porch to the path, I notice she's wearing white sneakers and has a navy blue sweatshirt on. Perfect. She remembered.

Jenna runs over to my SUV. "You're late," she says, climbing into the front seat.

"What do you mean? I told you I'd be here at nine."

"It's nine-ten."

I roll my eyes and laugh as I put the car and gear and pull out of the driveway.

Jenna turns in her seat and points to the back of the SUV where I'd secured a bike rack and two bikes. "What's with those?"

"One is mine and one is for you."

"Who'd you snatch a bike from?"

"No one. I bought it for you yesterday. I'm pretty sure it's the right size for those shapely legs of yours. But if not, I brought some tools to adjust the seat."

She looks at me with her mouth slightly agape. "You bought me a bike?"

"Yeah."

"Really?" The inflection in her voice tells me that she's happy about my surprise.

"If you're up to it, we can take a ride out to Madaket Beach, spend the day there and then come back."

Her smile is wide. "I'd love that. I can't believe you bought me a bike!"

I shake my head. "You're more excited about the bike than seeing me."

She slaps my shoulder lightly. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm just excited about our day."

"For our first stop, how about some ice cream?"

We drove to Seth's Ice Cream Boat, which was located near the bike path and a bike rental store. I finished my very "boring" chocolate ice cream on a sugar cone before Jenna even ate half of her coconut and Crantucket double on a waffle cone. Seeing the way she enjoyed licking the ice cream made me wish I hadn't gone boring and chosen something braver. The waffle cone proved too much for Jenna, so she gave me what she couldn't finish. We then spent a few minutes adjusting the seat of her new bike before starting down the Madaket bike path.