9
Donovan
Riley and Donovan walked along the water for a bit, talking idly about Port Henry. Mostly, Donovan told her about some of his favorite things about living there, least of which was being by the water.
“I feel like it has a calming effect. It can get a little wild out here with the fancy parties and whatnot, but out here on the beach, it’s different. The water soothes the soul, I think,” Donovan said wistfully before realizing how silly he must sound. “I just mean… everyone seems to chill out a little more on the beach, if that makes sense.” He stopped himself before he said anything else too ridiculous.
Riley giggled, and agreed, nodding. “I do think there’s some peace in listening to the waves. I opened my window last night so I could hear them crashing on the beach in the distance. It helped me fall asleep in a new bed, that’s for sure.”
“Let’s sit a while,” Donovan suggested.
“Right here?” Riley glanced around. There were no chairs or anything to sit on.
“Yep, right here. The sun is setting now. Let’s just chill out and watch,” he said, plopping down in the sand, then patted the spot next to him. “Give me your shoes.” They’d been walking shoeless for some time, carrying them. Donovan took the sandals from her and put them in a small pile with his canvas loafers.
“This dog is crazy,” Riley said. Scrappy was prancing around in the sand, stopping every once in a while to chase a wave out, then run from the next one that rolled ashore.
“He’s still a puppy. He’s surprisingly energetic for his breed, I’ll give you that,” Donovan said, chuckling. “Theoretically, he’ll calm down. But I’ll be honest. With that one, who knows?”
They both laughed and watched the dog run around a bit more before he settled himself in the sand at their feet. Watching the sun set, they sat quietly for a while, enjoying the breeze and the fresh air.
“Have you given any more thought to spending the summer here? I think you’d really like it.” Donovan broke the silence that had fallen.
Riley continued to look out over the water which became harder to see as the daylight began to disappear. “I don’t have to go back right away, and I think there are some things I need to figure out about Jameson.”
“What do you mean?” Donovan asked.
“I thought that I knew him well, but I’m beginning to think the Jameson Prescott that I knew—the one who was my friend—was someone else altogether.”
“That sounds ominous.” Donovan chuckled lightly.
“I don’t know what to do with Scrappy or this house, that’s for sure. And I’m not entirely sure what else has become mine, so I need to go back to the city and figure some of that out, I think. Sooner rather than later.”
Donovan wanted to beg her to stay. He couldn’t think of any good reason why a woman he just met should listen to him, other than if it was about the dog. “Well, I know that I said Scrappy is just fine, but I think we should keep an eye on him for at least a few days. Just to make sure he hasn’t ingested anything we didn’t know about.”
“Do you think that’s possible?” Riley spun toward him.
Realizing he may have gone slightly overboard about the dog’s condition, he decided to go with it anyway. “Well yeah, it’s definitely possible.” Please don’t strike me dead, he said to himself, apprehensively gazing up at the sky. Or the dog. I just like the girl and want her to stay longer.
“Well, if that’s the case, we should stay a few more days for sure,” she replied. “I will probably need to find him a new home because he would be terribly unhappy in a city apartment, but until I figure that out, I have to make sure he’s taken care of.” She glanced over at the pup who had not clue he might need a new home. Donovan didn’t want to let that happen, and started to think of how he could entice her to stay, and to keep Scrappy.
The two sat and chatted a bit longer before making their way back to the house, a much slower, worn-out Scrappy in tow. When they arrived back at the patio, a full spread of snacks was laid out on the low table where they’d been sitting, along with two fresh bottles of beer in a small bucket of ice. Bernard had definitely hooked them up.
“You hungry?” Riley asked, waving at the food.
“I could definitely eat.”
Donovan returned home that night, wishing he could have stayed longer. If Riley hadn’t begun yawning, he might have. But he didn’t want to overstay his welcome and he’d planted the first seed toward getting her to remain in Port Henry. When she gave him a small goodnight kiss on the cheek, he was certain she lingered there longer t
han she had to. He wanted to court her as if it were the olden days, when you didn’t just meet a woman in a bar and take her home. Getting to know Riley was fun and Donovan couldn’t recall the last time he’d had that enjoyable of an evening that didn’t end in sex. As he lay in bed that night, he ran through their conversation in his head, trying to pluck out any detail that might be used to get her to stay.
He needed to act quickly, and drastically. All he wanted was for her to commit to the summer so they could spend time together, get to know each other. Donovan couldn’t let her leave. As crazy as it sounded, something in his bones told him she was brought here to the Port -- to him -- for a reason and after the evening together, he was certain there was a part of her that felt it too.
The next morning, Donovan woke up with a spring in his step. He had a plan, but it was a bold one. Something, a gut feeling, told him he should just go with it, and fate would follow. For the first time since summer had begun to approach, he didn’t look at it with apprehension. Instead, he was excited. The days of prowling for the ex-wives of the rich and famous to warm his bed were behind him. He needed someone like Riley, and the awareness of that fact was as clear as the morning on that spring day.
Before going to work, Donovan stopped at a roadside stand and bought a bundle of wildflowers. He couldn’t very well show up empty-handed now. Not with what he had planned. It was quite early, and while he didn’t know if Riley was a morning person or a night owl, he suspected the former and he was about to find out.
The Prescott house was only two miles from his own house and while his heart was sure of his next move, his head started to give him doubts. What if she thinks I’m insane? Maybe she wasn’t feeling the same connection. His confidence waned as he pulled in the driveway and he considered turning around and leaving, forgetting the whole plan. But when Riley opened the door and walked outside with Scrappy on a leash and their gazes met, it was do or die time.