Page 12 of Summer Affair

He thought about his sister and Luke while he drove himself back to his small apartment a few hours later.

He knew that Sophia had desperately wanted to live happily ever after with Luke.

Their mother had wanted the same thing with their father, David Wallis, a man that had spent less than eight years in his and Sophia’s lives. Shortly after Sophia had turned two, David had died in a car crash, leaving the family that loved him far too early.

After his father’s death, his mother had tried to date several times, none of which had amounted to anything.

The three of them had formed a bond so tight, nothing could get between them. Not even his sister’s ex.

Even with his mother’s and sister’s luck in love, he still held out hope for them and for himself.

His past relationships hadn’t amounted to much. The longest he’d been with anyone was a whopping six weeks. Lindy had grown bored of him three weeks into the relationship. Or so she’d told him as she’d kicked him out of her car in the middle of the parking lot at the restaurant they’d just eaten at.

It was funny how she’d decided that after he’d paid for their very expensive dinner. Lindy had cost him a lot in those few weeks he’d spent with her, and on her way out, she’d cleared out the tip jar he kept in his closet. About the only good thing that had come from that relationship was his habit of depositing his tips more often and not trusting anyone he slept with.

His mind flashed to Andrea and the handful of people he trusted at River Camp. They were different.

They were as much his family as his mother and Sophia were.

Chapter Four

It really wasn’t a hardship training Dean and keeping up with her own schedule. The second day of training Dean had gone better than she’d expected. He was picking up the techniques quickly and showed a genuine passion for the work. Watching him learn and grow into his role was satisfying, and she found herself looking forward to their sessions more than she’d anticipated.

As they wrapped up the last client of the day, Dean wiped his hands after washing off the oils and lotions and grinned at her. God, that smile did things to her, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She had to stay professional if she wasn’t going to ruin their friendship. Sure, they had flirted over the years, but she doubted she would be able to take his rejection if she tried for something more.

She’d been rejected loads of times before, but with Dean, it mattered.

“Thanks for all the help today. I think I’m finally getting the hang of this,” he said as she finished putting the new sheet on the table.

“You’re doing great. A real natural.”

Dean nodded. “I have a great teacher.”

Andrea felt a warmth spread through her at his words. “I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the work. See you tomorrow?”

“Definitely. My last day for a while. I’m scheduled in the dining hall for the next week. Brent is trying to move the schedule around so I can have a few more days with you, but until he figures something out, I’m stuck over there.”

“No problem. If you free up, just let me know. You know where I’ll be,” she said as they walked out of the building together.

“Night,” he called out as he headed towards the main building. She turned and walked to the parking lot.

With her workday done early, she decided to head into town to pick up a few groceries. She normally liked to hit the farmers market that happened in town on the weekends, but it had gotten rained out last weekend so she was stuck with the local grocery story instead.

The sun was setting as she parked her car in front of the store, the sky painted in shades of orange and pink. She loved this time of day, the way the world seemed to calm down and take a deep breath.

She grabbed a basket and wandered through the aisles, picking up fresh produce and some essentials she’d need for the coming days. She was in the dairy section, reaching for a carton of almond milk, when she heard familiar, unwelcome voices behind her.

“Oh my god, is that Andrea?”

Andrea turned to see Tiffany and Heather pushing strollers towards her. They each had a child clinging to their sides as well as younger babies in the strollers. Despite the years, the smirks on their faces were unchanged, even if their bodies were thicker from their obviously recent childbirths.

Their kids were beautiful. Perfect. The older children gobbled down cookies from the bakery like they were starved.

“Andrea, wow,” Tiffany said, her tone dripping with mock surprise. “It’s been ages.”

Not really. Both women still lived in town and had married boys from their class. Tiffany was now Tiffany White. Yup, she’d married Tommy shortly after graduation, after finding out she was pregnant. Their oldest, the boy had been born a few months after graduation.

Would her and Tommy’s child have looked like him?