Page 61 of Summer Affair

She asked Julie to put her sister’s baby shower on the calendar and was happily surprised that the outside pool deck area wasn’t booked for that evening. When she shot a text to Amy telling her of the schedule and location, Amy replied that it would be perfect. Then she sent a long list of things Andrea had to do or purchase for the party.

Andrea wanted to reply that she wasn’t going to do any of it. Instead, she gave the stupid thumbs-up emoji instead.

A few days later, just as she was starting to feel like she could breathe again, Dean showed up at the pool house to continue his training. The sight of him made her heart break all over again. She knew she couldn’t avoid him for long and, besides, it wouldn’t solve anything.

“Hey,” he said softly, stepping closer. “Can we talk?”

“Sure.” She nodded, her throat tightening suddenly.

They stepped into the back locker room, where Dean turned to her, his eyes scanning her face quickly. “I know you’re going through a lot, and I don’t want to pressure you, but I just wanted you to know that I really miss you.” His hands moved to her arms, rubbing up and down slowly. It felt too good to be touched by him so she stilled, afraid of moving. “I just want to be with you. Any way I can. I want to be here for you.”

Andrea looked away, tears brimming in her eyes. “I’m not the same person anymore. I can’t…” She shook her head, unwilling to let any more tears fall. “What you deserve…” Is what? Someone who isn’t broken? Someone who could give him a family? Did he even really want one? She didn’t have the heart to ask, afraid the answer would break her even more.

He reached out and gently lifted her chin to meet his gaze. “What I deserve is you, Andrea. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

Her heart ached with the weight of his words. She wanted to believe him, to let his love be her anchor, but the fear and pain were too overwhelming. “I need time. Please, Dean, just…time. Do you understand?”

“I do,” he whispered, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. “Take all the time you need. Just know that I’m not going anywhere.”

She leaned back, pretty sure he was going to leave the conversation at that, but then he brushed his lips over hers.

The soft kiss was over practically before it started and was so full of heat that she felt her entire body warm. Somehow, the light touch made her realize that she’d been freezing since the last time he’d touched her. Since their last kiss.

Then, as quickly as he’d kissed her, he was gone. “I’ll go set up the room for our next client,” he said casually and walked out of the room.

As she stood there, missing his embrace, missing his warmth, his smile, his sexy scent, a flicker of hope played in her head. Maybe, just maybe, she didn’t have to face her pain alone. Dean’s love was a beacon of light in her darkness, and while she wasn’t ready to fully embrace it, she knew it was there, waiting for her whenever she was ready.

Chapter Nineteen

After a long day of working beside her, Dean couldn’t shake the worry he felt for Andrea. He knew she was still hurting, and he wanted to do something to lift her spirits. As he finished cleaning up after their last client of the day, he got an idea. While he was alone, he called his mother and sister, asking if he and Andrea could come over for dinner. Thankfully, his mother was more than happy to oblige and even decided to make his favorite meal.

When he was done, he went and found Andrea, who was sitting outside at the bar, watching guests splash and play in the pool.

“Hey,” he said softly. “What are your plans for dinner?”

She shrugged. “I was about to order a burger here.”

He took her hand in his. “How about…maybe we could go for dinner together?”

“I don’t know. I’m not really in the mood.”

“Not to a restaurant.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “I called my mom, and she’s making us dinner. I thought it might be nice to spend some time with my family. They’d love to see you. Sophia’s doing much better and is totally lonely and bored being cooped up at home all the time with just my mom and me to talk to.”

Andrea hesitated for a moment, glancing around the loud and fun environment around them, then she slowly nodded. “Okay. I guess so. It would be nice to catch up with your mom and sister. I haven’t seen them in a few months.”

“I’ll drive.” He took her hand and, before she could argue, he gently pulled her away from the bar and down the pathway to the parking lot.

They drove to his mother’s house. The silence in the car reassured him that he’d done the right thing. He knew that the loud bar had been bothering her, but she would have sat there and endured eating dinner there or would have taken it home and eaten alone again.

When they arrived, his mother greeted them with a warm hug. “Andrea, dear, it’s so good to see you again,” she said, her smile genuine and welcoming.

He knew that his mother often got massages at the camp or just hung out at the pool with some of her friends, who all paid for access to the grounds.

Sophia walked into the entryway and joined them, wrapping Andrea in a tight embrace.

His sister had stopped wearing the head scarves a few weeks back since her hair was slowly growing again. Currently, it was nothing more than dark stubble like he had after a few days without shaving, but it looked good enough that Sophia didn’t feel like she had to cover it any longer. There was a certain defiant beauty to her new look, a testament to her strength and resilience.

She’d lost so much weight fighting the cancer that most of her clothes hung on her, but her spirit seemed as vibrant as ever. Her memory had stopped being messed up by the drugs and she was feeling more herself. At least she kept trying to convince them of that fact.