And damn if she didn’t bite her lip again, tempering a saucy grin. “No promises, but if your apple pie is good enough, you might get a few more.”
Addy reattached the dog’s leash and sashayed toward the beach, her trim hips swaying.
Kieran raised his eyes heavenward. “Whatever angel’s watching out for me, thank you.”
Chapter Three
Addyclosedherpaperbackmystery, gazed up at the swaying branches above her comfy hammock, and smiled around a contented sigh. Though she was no closer to deciding what to do about her mom, her career, all of it, Liv’s advice rang true. This funky little beach town gave her space to breathe and let her ideas percolate. Not to mention how happy Snoot seemed here. Sprawled beneath her hammock, he lifted his head now and then to sniff the briny breeze.
A few more days like this, and she’d have it all figured out. In the meantime, she’d enjoy this perfectly cool, sunny weather, this perfectly cozy cottage, this perfect peace.
After their morning beach walk and encounter with the hunky, flirtatious lighthouse keeper, she’d devoured a huge breakfast at Cassie’s Coastal Café, then strolled through the shops on the west side of Main Street, netting some sea-mineral bath bombs, a scarf in ocean hues, and a stack of paperbacks from Bookish, the cute bookshop near the end of the touristy half mile. Souvenir Galaxy and the hippie crystal shop could wait until tomorrow. Or the next day.
How wonderful not to be in a hurry for once! No pager buzzing in her pocket, no post-op check-ins and electronic paperwork, no mountain of work emails…
Her phone pinged. Acting on autopilot, she pulled it from her pocket. And just like that, her perfect peace imploded.
Colonel Magda Okafor, the commander of Madigan Army Medical Center, wouldn’t interrupt Addy’s leave if it weren’t urgent. Liv would scold her for answering, but when duty calls…
“Ma’am?”
“Drop the formality, Addy.” Her boss’s voice sounded brittle and exhausted. “I’m sorry to bother you, but the brass is on my ass about staffing. I’m afraid I’ll need your decision by the first of the month.”
“But that’s—” Addy double-checked her phone calendar.
“The day after Halloween. And you’ll still be on leave. I know, Addy, and I hate to put this kind of pressure on you, but I’m up against the wall. By COB next Friday, I have to submit my staffing plan. You know how it is—lots of folks retire at the end of the calendar year, take terminal leave, blah blah blah. I’d hoped I could give you more time, but I just can’t.”
A sudden heaviness weighed Addy’s limbs as she ended the call and sank back into the hammock. She’d thought she had until the end of November to decide whether to extend her Army service for another term. Making big life decisions quickly had never been her forte, and now, she had one week to choose: more of the same? Or play the dutiful daughter and return to a town she hated? Or something else—as if she had any frickin’ idea what that might be.
“Arrgh. This was supposed to be a vacation.” Addy doubled over and hugged her roiling middle.
Snoot’s cold, damp nose prodded her palm.
“I’m okay, buddy.” She ruffled his thick fur. “Actually, we both know that’s a lie, but life goes on, whether we’re ready or not, right?”
His soul-searching gaze coaxed a smile to her lips. “What do you say we go for a sniff on the beach?”
Snoot whuffed his excitement and bounced on his front paws.
Rising with a groan, Addy went inside to gather the scent tins she’d learned how to use at the military K-9 adoption program. Working dogs need a job to stay healthy and happy, the trainer had explained, and since Snoot’s job was scent detection, she enriched their walks by hiding targets for him to find—cotton balls soaked with anise or clove. He adored the challenge, and she enjoyed watching his joyful, tail-whipping searches.
One of the program’s teachers had suggested she train Snoot for search and rescue work. Addy loved the idea, but with her current schedule, she just couldn’t spare the time. Hell, she hardly had time to think, much less develop a new passion.
She forced her tense shoulders down and grabbed Snoot’s leash. “It’s too beautiful a day to spiral into negativity—and we have a date tonight!”
After their romp on the beach, Addy returned to her cottage windblown, sun-pinked, and lighter of spirit. How incredibly lucky she was to be stationed within driving distance of such a gorgeous place. If she opted for another tour in the Army Medical Corps, chances were slim she’d get an assignment this close to the coast. And if she went back to her childhood home, the only ocean in sight would be a sea of soybean plants. Ugh.
“What would it be like to live here and walk on the beach whenever I please?” she asked her reflection as she dressed for her dinner date with Kieran. The sun had coaxed even more freckles across the bridge of her nose. She reached for her cosmetic bag, then thought better of it. “Take me as I am or…” She fastened her new earrings—silver dangles with tiny citrine stones. “Or don’t shake my peach tree. Is that how it goes, bud?”
From his cushion at the foot of her bed, Snoot gave a whuff of agreement.
She dug through her suitcase for a scarf to complement her pale green cashmere sweater. “I mean, it’s not like I’ll ever see this guy again.”
The dog thumped his tail on the cushion.
“Besides, who needs a boyfriend when I’ve got the best boy in the world?” She crouched to cup his chocolate brown face in both hands and smooch his broad forehead. Immediately, he flopped over for a belly rub.
While she skritched his soft fur, her thoughts drifted back to the lighthouse keeper and how sweet he’d been with Snoot. It wasn’t like her to accept a spontaneous date. Usually, she carefully vetted her dates before agreeing to meet. Come to think of it, better give someone a heads-up before meeting up with a near stranger.
