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He stood, moving behind her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that—”
She whirled to face him. “My therapist told me it was time to reconnect to the world but … I just don’t know how.”
“You’re not going to do it wrong. Grief takes time and there’s no right or wrong way to deal with it.”
Unable to do this with him, she moved away. “You need to go.”
“Wait.” His hand grabbed hers before she could get away.
She stopped and stared down at their hands, again. His touch did something funny to her. It reached a part of her that hadn’t been reached in a long time.
“It’s not fine.” He tugged her into him, wrapping her in his arms. “Let me just give you a hug.”
Liberty was a bit cold, but this man was all warmth. She felt herself melt into him. At five ten, she was too tall to fit so snuggly into most men. But against Trent’s six-foot-two frame, she was a perfect fit.
He whispered into her ear, “I haven’t lost a spouse or child, but I’ve lost a lot of TEAM guys and both of my parents. I’m not a stranger to loss, and it sucks.”
She felt his sincerity. This guy wasn’t just her teenage crush. He was a man who had lived a lot of life, and he did know about loss. “Thank you.” Cursed tears threatened to blur her vision. She wanted to resist his hug, but it felt so good to be held. She felt safe in his arms.
After a long time, he pulled back. “I can see that you’re still grieving, and I’m sure that’s hard. No pressure, but like I said, I’ll be in South Port the next two weeks, and if you need a friend to talk to or hang out with, or anything. Call me.” He turned to the little telephone area her aunt had set up, grabbed a pen and piece of paper, and wrote down his number. “I can be just a nice distraction from your life. We’ll do some fun stuff.”
Even though she felt a bit overwhelmed, she couldn’t deny the man was a flirt through and through. She rolled her eyes. “Distraction?”
“I can be whatever you need me to be,” he told her, grinning.
Out of nowhere, the stupid teenage version of her surfaced again. “I doubt even babe slayer Trent Stone could be enough of a distraction.”
He crossed his arms. “Try me.”
Once again, those stupid butterflies surfaced. “No, I don’t think so.”
“Well, you got my number. We could just have fun, and I really wouldn’t mind giving a hand with the boxes or anything else you need help with.”
His offer felt sincere. “You’d be willing to move some boxes?”
He flexed. “That’s what these guns are for, baby.”
She tried to hold back her laugh. “You haven’t changed.”
“Maybe not, but I would really be happy to help with anything.”
“Maybe I’ll take you up on it.” The words were out before she could stop them.
“I hope so.” He turned to the side door.
Liberty bit her lip. The rain was still coming down pretty hard. “I can give you a ride,” she offered.
He swung back, granting her the mischievous smile he’d always worn on his face. “Nah, a little rain isn’t gonna stop me.”
“Okay. Thanks for stopping.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “See you around, Lib. I mean it. Call if you need help.” He walked out, pulling the door shut behind him.
She hurried over to the kitchen window in time to see him run down the beach through the rain. He paused, as if knowing she would be watching and waved.
She laughed and waved back. Dang that man, Trent Stone.
Her attention was pulled away from the window when she heard something crash. She stilled, listening carefully. With slow steps, she crept down the hallway toward the grand entrance of the house. She got to the front and flipped on a light. Nothing.
