“Yes, she did.”
“Oh, good. Anyway, they planned all of it together. When…the accident…well, that’s when I stepped in.” Her voice drifted away. She paused and cocked her head. “You two have chatted quite a bit.”
Dane nodded.
“That surprises me. Hil’s not exactly outgoing.”
“I’ve been trying to interact with everyone here. Sometimes you make a stronger connection with some people more than others.”
“Yes,” Jorie said, nodding slowly. Her eyes bore into him and her smile grew stiff once again.
The silence stretched. In the distance, a screech cut through the stillness. An owl perhaps. Dane peered into the darkness near the wooded portion of the property. It was cooling off and he hadn’t brought his jacket with him to dinner.
“I think I’m going to head inside,” she said, standing.
“Same here. Have a good night.”
Dane stood at the edge of the patio until he heard the French doors click shut. He watched her through the curtains as she stopped at the tea cart for a mug. She filled the mug with water from the carafe. And then she glanced toward the French doors, and the darkness outside kept her from seeing that he still stood there, looking back at her. Even from the distance, Dane saw the deep furrow of her brow and the downturned corners of her mouth.
Her expression wasn’t a coincidence. It was meant for him.
Chapter Fifteen
Hilary stood in front of the bathroom mirror, pulling the comb through her hair. She woke before her alarm sounded and kept the lights off until she was in the bathroom with the door closed. Jorie snored softly on her side of the king-sized bed. Hilary was careful not to wake her.
She’d dressed in the nicest pullover she’d packed, a berry quarter-zip with another Larkin Farms logo on the chest. It wasn’t the first time in the last few days she wished she’d packed something more dressy. On the other hand, it was cold on these Minnesota mornings and she brought practical clothes, not anything for sunrise dates at the beach.
Hilary smiled.
A date. She was definitely going on a date with Dane.
She opened the bathroom door a crack and put her ear against the space. Jorie’s even breaths assured her that she might make it outside their room without notice. With a little luck, she and Dane would be back within the hour while Jorie was still in the bathroom, getting ready for the day, none the wiser. She’d tell Jorie she couldn’t sleep. She’d gotten up early if Jorie asked.
But this wasn’t like her. Lying, especially to Jorie. If it weren’t the last day, if she wasn’t desperate to see Dane before they said goodbye tomorrow, Hilary would speak up. She’d ask Jorie why every time Dane came near her, Jorie had an excuse to keep Hilary away. Why she wore that frozen smile whenever Dane talked to her. She’d save the questions for the trip home. Now she wanted to see Dane.
He was waiting for her in the foyer. Darcy, still in pajamas and slippers, handed him the keys to the Jeep as Hilary came downstairs.
“Have fun, you two,” Darcy said, grinning. Darcy’s eyes darted between her and Dane as if Dane confided something delicious to her even as she stifled a yawn. “Debi’s Donuts is the spot in town for glazed rings and a coffee if you can’t wait until breakfast.”
“Duly noted. Thanks,” said Dane. He tossed the keys in the air then caught them. He turned Hilary’s way, looking over her slowly which sent a warm tingle down the back of her neck.
“Ready?” he asked.
They chatted nonstop on their way to the lighthouse, talking over one another. It was like being a teenager again and her first time in a car without a learner’s permit and a parent in the passenger seat. Dane was so engrossed in their conversation he almost missed the turn into the gravel drive. Hilary whacked his arm and pointed. The tires might have squealed a bit, which made them giggle. Ahead, the lighthouse stood regal and white, a stark contrast against the cobalt backdrop of the lake. They parked in the small lot under a leaning cedar and away from the other two cars. No one was in sight.
Dane pulled a blanket out of the backseat. He waited for Hilary to get out before they started down the path.
“Darcy said we have to walk a little way. There are benches on the other side of the lighthouse near the overlook,” he said. Dane pointed to the top of the structure. “See the lantern room? Darcy said they have star festivals here in the fall, and if you’re up there on a clear night, you can see the lighthouse on Isle Royale thirty miles away.”
Hilary shielded her eyes from the sun’s glare to look at the top of the lighthouse. “You two are really good friends, aren’t you?”
“We found out real quick the single biggest thing we had in common when we met in navy boot camp was clumsiness.” Dane pushed up his coat sleeve to reveal a five-inch-long scar on his forearm. “Crashed right into a plate-glass window when I slipped on a wet floor. Darcy has a scar on her knee after falling on the broken glass on the same wet floor.”
“Yikes.” Hilary veered away, teasing him. “I hope it’s not contagious.”
He pulled the sleeve down. “Anyway, she’s been a great friend, through the highs and the lows.”
“Lows such as stitches?” she joked.
