Dogwood Hill

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The woman beamed. “Not a thing. That nice young man has already rung up my purchases, but he said I needed to speak to you about the custom doghouse.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how he did it, but I’m leaving here with at least three things I’m sure I didn’t intend to buy. You have a wonderful selection. You can count on me being a regular. I’m afraid I pamper Petunia outrageously. That dog is like a child to me.”

As the woman left, a satisfied expression on her face, Liz glanced in Aidan’s direction. He was smiling at a group of women in a way that could have gotten anyone—or at least any female over the age of consent—to buy just about anything. Maybe he was more than an angel. Perhaps he was a secret weapon she ought to consider using on a much more regular basis.

But, she told herself sternly, only as long as she could find some way to inoculate herself against all that charm that seemed to come so naturally. Her husband had been a lot like that, charming everyone he met. She’d learned way too late to distrust that, but it was a lesson she wasn’t likely to forget.

* * *

“How was lunch?” Aidan asked when Liz eventually made her way back to the front of the store.

“Delicious,” she said. “Thank you. And thanks for the break, too. I think I can handle things from now on out. You should go back and finish your own lunch before it’s ice-cold.”

“I had plenty,” he insisted. “Do you have help coming in?”

She shook her head. “There’s a high school girl who comes in after school a few days a week, but her family was going away for the weekend.”

Aidan frowned. “It wasn’t very responsible of her to bail on you on a holiday weekend.”

Liz shrugged. “I didn’t think it was a big deal at the time. I know better now. Tess is hoping for more hours this summer and now I can safely tell her she’ll get them.”

“How about I hang around, at least until the crowd slows down. You can work your magic answering questions and I can stay up here at the register.”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” she protested.

“You didn’t ask. It’s not as if I have other pressing things to do. I’ve been enjoying the chance to talk to people.” Unsaid was that he liked watching her in action, too. She had a quiet sales manner that seemed to make people instinctively trust her. And her enthusiasm for the merchandise was plain. It was a potent combination that excited people, but assured they never felt pressured.

Glancing around at the number of people still milling about, she seemed to reach a conclusion. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’d be grateful for the help, but only until things quiet down.”

“Agreed,” he said at once. “Now go. There’s someone else looking longingly at that doghouse. I think you can sell another one.”

Liz immediately scurried off in that direction, leaving him to ring up sales and chat with the tourists, who seemed to have come from all over the region. Many were staying at The Inn at Eagle Point and raving about the food. Others were asking for tips on other shops and restaurants.

“I’m new to town, but I’ve heard good things about Brady’s seafood,” he told them. “And I can testify firsthand that O’Brien’s has a terrific, authentic Irish pub menu. If you’re looking for something simple, like a burger or a crab cake sandwich, Sally’s right up the block is terrific. It’s very popular with all the locals.”

He was amused to realize he was starting to sound like a spokesman for the Chamber of Commerce. Not that he was likely to do this on a regular basis, but he really did need to get around more if he was going to be passing out recommendations.

As that tourist left, he started ringing up yet another sale, when he realized the woman was studying him intently.

“You’re the new football coach, aren’t you?” she said.

“Aidan Mitchell,” he confirmed.

“I’m Pamela Hobbs. My son is the team quarterback. He’ll be a senior next year, so his father and I are expecting great things from him.”

“I’m still getting to know the players,” Aidan told her, wise enough to word his response carefully. “We’re a long way from settling how next fall’s team will shape up, but Coach Gentry definitely told me about your son. I’m looking forward to seeing him in action. I hope to get in a couple of scrimmages before school’s out.”

She frowned at his response. “Surely you’re not considering making any changes to the roster.”

Aidan saw the minefield. “It’s much too early to say.”

She looked as if she was about to argue, but instead she gave a tug to her tight, scoop-neck T-shirt to display even more cleavage before fluffing her perfectly highlighted chestnut hair. Holding his gaze, she suggested, “Perhaps we could have a drink and discuss this further.”

He bit back a smile. “Sorry. As you can see, I’m busy.”

She frowned at that. “You’re not working here, are you?”

“I’m helping out a friend.”

“Well, I’m sure she won’t mind if you take care of something that is related to your job as the coach.”

“She might not, but I do. I made a commitment. Besides, any decisions I make about next year’s team will be based on what I see on the field.”

She drew herself up, her expression hardening. “Then I imagine my husband will want to have a chat with you Tuesday morning.”

Aidan nodded, keeping his expression pleasant. “I’ll look forward to it.”

As much as he didn’t want to get into it with any player’s father, the prospect of tangling with a mother who was so obviously on the prowl was a whole lot less appealing.

* * *

Even though Pet Style was supposed to close at six, it was after seven by the time the last customer left. Liz’s feet ached and she was even more exhausted by having to keep a smile plastered on her face, especially with a couple of customers who’d been rude and demanding. She’d also been out of sorts since she’d noticed Pamela Hobbs, a notorious flirt, flaunting her ample chest in Aidan’s face.

“I noticed you made a conquest earlier,” she said in what she hoped was her most casual, disinterested tone as she turned the lock on the door and put the closed sign in the window.

Aidan glanced up curiously from the display he’d started straightening. “What are you talking about?”

“Pamela Hobbs,” she said. “I should probably warn you, though, that she’s married, but has a reputation for not paying much attention to that fact.”

A slow grin spread across Aidan’s face. “Thanks for the heads-up, but I knew exactly who she was and what she was after, which is why I turned down her invitation to leave here and go out for a drink.” He gave her a wink. “Thanks for giving me the perfect excuse.”

Liz wasn’t sure if she was more impressed by his intuitiveness or appalled by Pamela’s lack of discretion. “Does that happen a lot?” she asked. “Women coming on to you?”

“When I played pro football, it happened all the time,” he said in a way that suggested he was more bewildered than pleased by it. “Since I’ve been coaching less than a week, this is a first that a mom has tried to assure her son’s spot on the team by offering herself up as an incentive.” He held her gaze. “And just so you know, I wouldn’t have been interested even if I hadn’t known she was married. She’s not my type.”

Liz couldn’t seem to keep herself from asking, “What is your type?”

“I’ll let you know when I figure it out, but definitely someone a whole lot less obvious than Pamela Hobbs.”

“You’ve never been in a serious relationship?”

“Define serious.”

“One you thought might lead to marriage,” she said at once.

He shook his head. “I’ve had a couple of long-term relationships, but in college I was too focused on making it into the National Football League. Once I was drafted, I was determined to put all my energy into getting better. Anything too serious would have been a distraction. The women I knew got tired of waiting around.”

“You don’t sound terribly distraught over that,” she noted.

“Which tells me I wasn’t that serious about any of them,” he said. “I was certainly sad to end things with a couple of them, but I wasn’t ready to make the commitment they wanted.” He shrugged. “Then my mom got sick, I had a career-ending injury and I didn’t have a lot of time to think about anything else.”

“Is your mother better now?”

A deep sadness darkened his eyes as he shook his head. “She lost her battle with cancer last summer.”

“Oh, Aidan, I’m so sorry.”

“Me, too.”

“And your father?”

He seemed to still at the question. Avoiding her gaze, he shrugged. “Never knew him. And before you ask, there were no siblings.”

Liz couldn’t imagine what that was like. She might not have the perfect family, but she’d grown up with two loving parents and a couple of sisters who could get on her last nerve, but whom she adored. None of them had understood it when she’d chosen to move away from Charlotte, North Carolina. They’d wanted her to stay close, where they could support her, but what they’d seen as genuine caring to her had felt a lot like smothering. She’d needed to make a clean break to start over.

She realized Aidan was watching her intently.

“Where’d you go just then?” he asked. “You looked sad.”

“I was just trying to imagine what your life must have been like with only your mom around,” she said.

He laughed. “If you’d ever met my mom, you wouldn’t look so distraught. She was amazing. She worked hard and she turned every day into an adventure. She loved New York, so whenever she was off we took advantage of all the city has to offer. We spent hours at the Museum of Natural History or the Botanical Garden or just walking through Central Park with her pointing out every tree and flower until I’d memorized their Latin names.”

“Sounds as if she would have loved Chesapeake Shores and the way people here care about the environment. I’ll bet she and Thomas O’Brien would have been kindred spirits.”

Aidan looked startled by the comment, but he nodded slowly. “You’re absolutely right,” he said, that faraway expression back in his eyes. “She would have loved it here.”

Not for the first time, Liz got the impression that there were things Aidan wasn’t revealing, some part of the story of his past that he was keeping to himself. Still, it wasn’t in her nature to pry, especially not when whatever it was seemed to make him so sad. She understood all too well that there were things people needed to keep private. She had plenty of demons of her own carefully locked away.

“Not to change the subject,” she said lightly. “But I am absolutely starving yet again, and you must be, too, since you never did have time to finish your lunch. I need to get home to let the dogs out. If you’re interested, I could order a pizza. I owe you more than that for the way you pitched in today, but I’m not sure I can muster up the energy to cook or go out. I just want to take a shower, kick back and be off my feet.”

“A pizza sounds fantastic,” Aidan agreed at once. “Why don’t you head home to deal with the dogs and I’ll pick it up? Anything to drink?”

“Beer if you want it. I only have tea and diet soda in the house, but I’m good with that.”

“Either one suits me, too,” Aidan said. “I may not be in training, but I mostly steer clear of alcohol except at a summer barbecue or on the occasional night hanging out with the guys.”

Liz thought of Shanna’s remark to Henry about good player nutrition. “That reminds me. Do you plan on getting into the whole diet and exercise thing with the players?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Henry mentioned something about needing to get stronger. Shanna’s apparently a little freaked that he might turn to steroids, even though Henry says he’s gotten the message about how bad those are.”

“My players won’t go near steroids,” Aidan said flatly. “I’ll make sure of that. Tell Shanna she doesn’t have anything to worry about. I’ll start hammering that message home first thing at Tuesday’s practice. I hope to work with each player next week and come up with an individualized training plan for the summer. And just because school’s out doesn’t mean I won’t be following up to make sure they stay on track.”

Liz regarded him with approval. “I was right,” she said with satisfaction.

“About what?”

“The kind of coach you’re going to be. It’s great that you care so much. The high school is very lucky to have you.”

“We’ll see if the players agree once I start getting serious about their workouts,” he said.

“I think they’re going to take to it like ducks to water,” she said at once. “Those boys want so badly to prove themselves and start winning. Nothing against Coach Gentry. He’s a great guy, but he didn’t have what it took to motivate them or to teach them what it would take to improve.”

“And you think I do?”

“I know it,” she said with confidence.

She also thought he had what it took to heal her heart, if only she weren’t so terrified that he could just as easily break it.

6 (#ulink_7e50a44f-b0ac-54b4-9d32-51ed99ad59a8)

Aidan was halfway up the walkway to Liz’s when she opened the front door. Archie bounded out with an ecstatic bark, paused to pick up a tennis ball, then almost knocked Aidan to the ground in his exuberance.

“Is it me or the pizza he’s excited about?” he called out to Liz, who stood where she was, laughing and leaving him to extricate himself from the situation.

“Let’s just say I’ve never seen him get that worked up over pizza before, and it’s a staple around here,” she said. “Archie, behave! Get back here.”

Instead of obeying, Archie sat down in the middle of the sidewalk blocking Aidan’s way, dropped a tennis ball at his feet and looked up at him with adoring eyes. Despite himself, Aidan couldn’t help chuckling.

“If you want me to play with you, you have to let me inside so I can put dinner down,” he scolded.

The dog’s response was to pick up the ball, then drop it again in an attempt to get his own message across.

Aidan cast a helpless look in Liz’s direction. “I think we’re at a stalemate. Can you grab this pizza?”

She came out wearing shorts and a tank top that almost caused him to swallow his tongue. With her feet bare, he couldn’t help noticing that her toenails were painted a pale pink that reminded him of seashells. Though her hair had been pulled back neatly all day, tonight she’d swept it up on her head in a careless knot that left damp blond tendrils framing her face. She looked as if the weight of the day had been washed away by a quick shower.

“You look...” Words failed him.

“Clean?” she suggested.

He laughed. “Way better than that.”

“I needed to get out of those clothes and into something comfortable,” she said. “A shower helped, too. I was feeling pretty grungy.”

“You looked great before, but you look even better now. Being relaxed suits you.”

“Doesn’t it suit everyone?” she replied, reaching for the pizza. “You have five minutes with Archie or I can’t promise there will be any of this left by the time you get inside.”