Mending His Past Read online

  Small? Yes. Boring? No. Not even watching paint dry would be boring if Olivia were nearby. “I wouldn’t call it boring. It’s just not home.” He glanced in Olivia’s direction, his heart skipping a beat when their eyes met full on. “I don’t think Liberty Cove could ever be my home.”

  Olivia nodded, her eyes searching his. He felt the need to hide the conflict inside him, but also the nearly crushing desire to let her see it. The idea of letting her think it was easy for him to walk away sickened him. It hadn’t been easy ten years ago, and it was going to be just as difficult this time around. But it was the right thing to do. Nothing in this world would keep him from doing right by Olivia.

  “Small towns aren’t for everyone,” Olivia said, prying her eyes away from his.

  They may have been walking shoulder to shoulder, but she felt farther away than ever.

  “I used to think small towns weren’t for me either, but everything changed after Molly was born. It’s the perfect place to bring her up. I want her to have roots, you know?”

  Roots. Those were something he’d always wished for, but never had. He’d never felt a connection to any place besides Liberty Cove, and even then it was only because of Olivia. “Roots are important for a kid. I think you’re doing the right thing for Molly. This is a great place to grow up.”

  “I’m glad you decided to stop by here before heading off to San Antonio. Your aunt sure needed the help, and it’s good—” Olivia cut herself off. A soft shade of pink colored her cheeks as she tucked a few fly-away hairs behind her ear. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye as a shy smile curved her lips. “It’s good to see an old friend.”

  He’d done it. He’d closed the door between them. They were old friends and nothing more. Mission accomplished. So why did he feel so rotten inside? The confident posture he’d developed as a result of his years of training gave way.

  With a sunken chest and slightly drooping shoulders, Trent gazed out to sea, wishing he could dive in and let the waves wash away his heartache. Then the voice of his inner drill sergeant came to life. Stand tall, soldier. There’ll be time to lick your wounds another day.

  If his time in the United States Army had taught him anything, it was how to be tough. He set his jaw with determination and straightened his back. There was work to be done, and he’d never been one to shirk his duties. Duties to his aunt. Duties to his friends.

  He filled his lungs with a deep breath, expanding his chest to its fullest impressive proportions and steeled himself. “You need to get to that flea market tomorrow, don’t you?”

  “I don’t see how I can go. Even if I had the money to get the truck fixed, there’s no way it would be done in time.”

  “I’ll take you.” He didn’t have to be a permanent resident of a small town to know that friends were supposed to look after one another.

  “That’s sweet of you to offer, but I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

  A smile crept onto Trent’s lips. “I may have been born with a diamond-studded silver spoon in my mouth, but I think I still have a pretty good idea of what a flea market is.”

  “It’s an all-day thing,” Olivia said, as if that single fact alone would be enough to send him packing.

  “And?”

  Olivia shrugged. “I don’t know. You really want to sit around in the sun all day at a dusty old flea market with nothing better to do than twiddle your thumbs until customers come by? That’s a lot to ask of anyone.”

  “You’re not asking. I’m offering. We’re friends, Olivia, and friends shouldn’t let each other down.” His lungs burned with the unspoken words he ached to say. And I won’t let you down again.

  Tears clouded her eyes. Trent’s stomach sank at the hint of a quiver in her chin. Olivia’s usually plump lips thinned as she worked to restrain whatever emotions were welling up inside her. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms and make her believe that everything was going to be okay. Instead, he asked, “Did I say something wrong?”

  Olivia sniffed. “No.” She forced her face to brighten with a brave smile as her eyes filled to the brim with large tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks. “You know how bad I am at accepting help.”

  “The worst.” Trent looked at her with a wry smile on his lips.

  “But I’m not going to fight you on this one… for Molly’s sake. I need those sales tomorrow. Otherwise—” Olivia bit her bottom lip as if to keep herself from spilling some well-kept secret.

  Trent had more than an inkling of what was on her mind. The distant look in Olivia’s eyes, along with her pinched brows, told him everything he needed to know. No doubt she was thinking of the bills she’d be unable to pay if she didn’t find a way to earn some money this weekend.

  Trent was still searching for the right words of encouragement when Molly bounded up to them, with Sport bouncing along after her.

  “Will you look at that dog?” Trent said. “I could have waved a side of bacon in front of his nose this morning and he wouldn’t have even bothered to take a sniff. You’ve brought him back to life, little M&M,” he said to Molly.

  He couldn’t stop the goofy grin that made itself at home on his lips as Molly wrapped her short arms around Sport’s neck. Cheek to cheek with the panting animal, she hugged him while his tail continued to wag.

  Molly and her mother had breathed life back into more than that rescue dog, and he was grateful for it. Trent stored away the memory of this moment and the feelings that accompanied it. Maybe it would still hold enough power to warm his heart later on when he was all alone after leaving Liberty Cove behind.

  “We should head back and see if he’ll eat,” Olivia said. “He looks so perky, he just might do it.”

  “Can I feed him?” Molly asked.

  “Only if you beat me to the dog food,” Trent said, acting like he was about to take off at a sprint.

  Molly squealed and raced toward the rescue. “I’m gonna beat ya.”

  “Well, that’s one way to get her to leave the beach. You’re really good with kids, you know that?” Olivia said.

  “Me? No, I don’t know anything about kids.” If someone had asked him a week before, he’d have said that he didn’t even like kids. But Molly was different. She wasn’t just a kid. She was something special. He’d only known her for a day and already he could see that. She had the same spark her mother possessed. The same “it factor” that made Olivia irresistible, made Molly cuter than words as she climbed the steps of the deck they’d left a few minutes before.

  Molly ran into the house and came out carrying a large stainless steel bowl filled with dry dog food. Trent and Olivia reached the bottom step when she set the food down for the dog.

  “Come, Sport. Eat breakfast.” She was sweet, yet commanding, in the way only a child approaching their third birthday could be.

  Kat and Levi waltzed through the door and greeted them as they stepped onto the deck. “Have a nice walk?” Kat asked, grinning like a cat who’d just swallowed a canary.

  “It was good,” Trent said, knowing that his definition of what constituted a good walk with Olivia was very different from his aunt’s.

  “Eat.” Molly’s demand landed on deaf ears as Sport’s wagging tail slowed and he merely sniffed at his food.

  “Well, at least he’s sniffing now,” Trent said.

  Molly dug her tiny hand deep into the bowl she’d over-filled.

  “Get your hand out of the dish, Molly,” Olivia said. “Even if he isn’t hungry, he might get grumpy if he thinks you’re trying to take his food.”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about that, hun,” Kat said. “Sweet old Mr. Perkins always had his great-grandchildren around. He made sure this dog knew his manners before he passed on.”

  “Maybe that’s why he likes Molly so much,” Trent said, watching Molly pull a handful of food from the bowl.

  A hush fell over the porch as four adults watched one little girl talk Sport through
his first tentative bites of food.

  “You gotta eat this,” she said, stuffing a single piece of food into his mouth. Sport spat it out and sat. “No, no. Eat.” Molly picked up the drool covered kibble and shoved it back into his mouth. They repeated this battle of wills a few more times before Sport decided to chew the morsel and swallow it.

  “Good boy!” Molly said and she kissed him on the side of his furry head. “Now more.”

  Sport ate bit by bit until the tip of his tail began to wag again. Finally, with a soft whimper he stood and took in the scent of his breakfast again, sniffing the mound of food with newfound interest. Right before everyone’s eyes he began gulping down mouthfuls with such gusto that Trent wondered if he’d end up having to perform the Heimlich maneuver on him. “Slow down, boy. That food is meant to be eaten, not inhaled.”

  Molly giggled at Trent’s side at the pig-like sounds coming from the dog’s mouth as he worked to empty his bowl in record time.

  “Look at how happy he is,” Kat said. “What did I tell ya, Levi? All he needed was a good family to perk him up.”

  Trent glanced at his aunt only to see her and Levi’s gazes resting on him instead of Sport. Was she talking about me or the dog? Kat rested a hand over her heart and mouthed the word “precious” to him as Levi’s head and neck turned bright red from the pent up laughter written all over his face. Yeah, she hadn’t been talking about the dog.

  Trent rolled his eyes and sealed his lips. The more he resisted his aunt’s onslaught, the harder she seemed to push. Ignoring her matchmaking efforts was about the only option he had left. Besides, there was no need to fight it anymore. He and Olivia had an understanding now. If they were happy with a return to the boundaries of their old childhood friendship, that would have to be good enough for his lovable, yet misguided aunt.

  “He’s not going to be hungry for a while,” Olivia said as Sport licked his bowl clean, following it as it scooted across the porch. “You about ready to get to work?”

  A tingle of inexplicable excitement spread throughout Trent’s stomach when Olivia rested her easy gaze on him. With the awkwardness gone between them, there was no more avoiding eye contact. It was amazing to look into those crystalline sea-green eyes again without worrying about what thoughts might be churning behind them.

  “Trent?” Olivia asked.

  He sucked in a breath as her questioning tone reminded him that he was still lost in her eyes and hadn’t answered her question. He was going to have to be careful about that.

  “Yeah, I’m—” His phone buzzed in his back pocket, interrupting him as it announced the arrival of a chain of text messages. “Let me take a look at these and I’ll be ready to get started.” He dug his phone out of his pocket, his eyes never leaving Olivia as she took Molly by the hand and followed Kat inside.

  Levi moved toward the door, but Trent spoke up before he could cross the threshold. “Thanks for your help earlier, buddy.” He pinned Levi with a mock-glare, his left brow elevated to a high perch on his forehead.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t remember helping you. At. All,” Levi said, his face flushing with unreleased laughter again.

  Trent couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s the point. Whatever happened to our plan about you being the third wheel?”

  “First of all, that was your plan, not mine. Second, I’m not in the habit of getting in the way of my friends’ love lives. It’s just not cool.”

  Levi had always been a good friend when they were kids, and this situation was no different. He and Levi simply disagreed about what Trent actually needed in his life at the moment. He couldn’t fault the heart behind Levi’s quasi-betrayal.

  “You’re a good man, Levi, but you’ve got this situation pegged all wrong. There’s no ‘love life’ between me and Olivia. We’re old friends and we’ve decided to leave it at that.”

  Levi dropped his chin and tilted his head to the side. A disbelieving scowl pursed his lips and tugged them to the side. “Whatever you say.”

  Ignoring Levi’s obvious display of skepticism, Trent changed the subject. “You called yourself a grease monkey earlier. You any good?”

  “I never met an engine I couldn’t fix.”

  “Good. You busy tomorrow?”

  “Busy reassessing my life choices,” Levi said with a wry smile on his lips. “But other than that, my weekend is wide open.”

  “Perfect.” Trent dug in his other pant-pocket and pulled out a credit card. Tossing it to Levi, he said, “Olivia’s truck is broken down in her driveway. Use this to buy whatever it takes to get her mobile again. I’ll pay you whatever your going hourly rate is.”

  Levi’s smile widened. “Just old friends? You sure about that?”

  Trent wasn’t taking the bait. “We’re going to be gone all day tomorrow. Think you can have the job done before we get back?”

  “No idea until I get a look under the hood.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll text you her address. And, Levi…” Trent waited to continue until he had Levi’s full attention. “Let’s keep this between you and me, all right?”

  “Whatever you say. You’re the money man.” Levi winked and sauntered into the rescue, tucking the credit card into his pocket.

  Trent filled his lungs with a deep breath. Everything was going to work out. He and Olivia were on the same page, and he’d be able to spend the next few weeks covertly making sure things were on the right track for her and Molly. A smile so large it made his cheeks ache spread across his lips when he imagined the look on Olivia’s face when she discovered her truck would run again.

  Feeling lighter than he had for a long time, he swiped his finger across his phone to finally have a look at those texts that had rung through. Expecting to see a message from his real estate contact in San Antonio, his breath froze in his lungs when he saw the three-letter word that identified the sender. Dad.

  Chapter Ten

  After a restless night of sleep, a tingle of excitement zipped through Olivia’s body as she waited on her front porch for Trent to arrive. She told herself that those electric tickles were because she was excited to get to the flea market and sell her wares. But deep down she knew that was only half the story. It wasn’t only about selling—it was about who she was going to be selling with.

  Olivia rolled her eyes at the way goosebumps erupted up and down her arms each time Trent called her name. She needed to cut that out. He had his own life to live—far away—and she and Molly had theirs. Even so, that knowledge didn’t keep her heart from whispering his name whenever her mind was quiet, and there didn’t seem to be anything she could do about it.

  “Don’t get too close to the road,” Olivia called out as Molly ran in large circles in the front yard. Little dollar-store butterfly wings strapped onto Molly’s back bounced and flapped with each step she took. Olivia smiled, relieved that she’d been able to shield her daughter from the financial struggles they faced.

  She glanced at her old truck and shook her head. What am I going to do about you? A dark cloud tried to roll in, reminding her of everything that had gone wrong lately, but she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. Yeah, lots of things had gone wrong, but lots of other things had gone right. She was going to focus on those things.

  “He’s here.” Molly jumped up and down as Trent’s truck approached their home. “He brought my friend!”

  Sport sat in the back seat of Trent’s crew cab pick-up with his head hanging out the window, and his tongue flapping in the wind. The eagerness of each panted breath appeared to be more exhilarating than the one that had come before it.

  “He sure did. It looks like you’ll have someone to play with today.” Olivia resisted the urge to shiver as she stepped off the porch and walked up to Trent’s truck, now parked in her driveway. She tugged at the hem of her dusty-pink shirt, the bell sleeves helping to hide the nervous excitement coursing through her fingertips. “Good morning.”

  “Morning.”

/>   A little red flag went off in Olivia’s head when Trent’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. Now that it’s come right down to it, he’s regretting his offer to help. Olivia chewed the inside of her cheek, unsure what to say next.

  “Ready to load up?” Trent asked.

  “Sure.”

  Olivia led the way to the garage, Trent’s feet padding along softly behind her. She slid the bay door open on its tracks, and moved a few boxes out of the walkway. A large live-edge table with wrought-iron legs stood in front of them. It had been a fixture of her pop-up shop. Hopefully its unique design would be enough to draw a few extra eyes to her booth today. She knocked on its solid surface. “I guess we can start with this one.”

  Trent merely nodded in response.

  Engaging in small talk had never been one of Olivia’s favorite pastimes, but it would have been better than the blanket of silence that seemed to have fallen over them.

  She spent a few moments securing a quilt around the tabletop in preparation for the drive. Without another word, they each grabbed an end and lifted.

  Olivia’s biceps burned from the weight of the table after taking only a few steps, but the fire she felt in her arms was nothing compared to the questions burning in her mind. She dropped her end of the table to the ground with a clatter.

  “You all right?” Trent asked.

  She raked her fingers through her loose beachy waves. “No. Not really.” She sighed. Too mentally tired to dance around the subject, she threw diplomacy to the wind. “If you don’t want to do this, just say the word. You don’t have to.”

  “What? Of course I want to. We had this conversation yesterday. Didn’t we?”

  “It doesn’t seem like you want to. You’ve hardly said two words since you rolled up, you won’t look at me, and your face looks like you ate pickled lemons for breakfast this morning. You don’t look like someone who wants to have anything to do with going to the flea market today.”

  Trent dropped his chin to his chest, his shoulders rounding at the same time. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I have a lot on my mind. That’s all. But I want to do this.”