Dogwood Hill

“Is your mother better now?”

A deep sadness darkened his eyes as he shook his head. “She lost her battle with cancer last summer.”

“Oh, Aidan, I’m so sorry.”

“Me, too.”

“And your father?”

He seemed to still at the question. Avoiding her gaze, he shrugged. “Never knew him. And before you ask, there were no siblings.”

Liz couldn’t imagine what that was like. She might not have the perfect family, but she’d grown up with two loving parents and a couple of sisters who could get on her last nerve, but whom she adored. None of them had understood it when she’d chosen to move away from Charlotte, North Carolina. They’d wanted her to stay close, where they could support her, but what they’d seen as genuine caring to her had felt a lot like smothering. She’d needed to make a clean break to start over.

She realized Aidan was watching her intently.

“Where’d you go just then?” he asked. “You looked sad.”

“I was just trying to imagine what your life must have been like with only your mom around,” she said.

He laughed. “If you’d ever met my mom, you wouldn’t look so distraught. She was amazing. She worked hard and she turned every day into an adventure. She loved New York, so whenever she was off we took advantage of all the city has to offer. We spent hours at the Museum of Natural History or the Botanical Garden or just walking through Central Park with her pointing out every tree and flower until I’d memorized their Latin names.”

“Sounds as if she would have loved Chesapeake Shores and the way people here care about the environment. I’ll bet she and Thomas O’Brien would have been kindred spirits.”

Aidan looked startled by the comment, but he nodded slowly. “You’re absolutely right,” he said, that faraway expression back in his eyes. “She would have loved it here.”

Not for the first time, Liz got the impression that there were things Aidan wasn’t revealing, some part of the story of his past that he was keeping to himself. Still, it wasn’t in her nature to pry, especially not when whatever it was seemed to make him so sad. She understood all too well that there were things people needed to keep private. She had plenty of demons of her own carefully locked away.

“Not to change the subject,” she said lightly. “But I am absolutely starving yet again, and you must be, too, since you never did have time to finish your lunch. I need to get home to let the dogs out. If you’re interested, I could order a pizza. I owe you more than that for the way you pitched in today, but I’m not sure I can muster up the energy to cook or go out. I just want to take a shower, kick back and be off my feet.”

“A pizza sounds fantastic,” Aidan agreed at once. “Why don’t you head home to deal with the dogs and I’ll pick it up? Anything to drink?”

“Beer if you want it. I only have tea and diet soda in the house, but I’m good with that.”

“Either one suits me, too,” Aidan said. “I may not be in training, but I mostly steer clear of alcohol except at a summer barbecue or on the occasional night hanging out with the guys.”

Liz thought of Shanna’s remark to Henry about good player nutrition. “That reminds me. Do you plan on getting into the whole diet and exercise thing with the players?”

“Of course. Why?”

“Henry mentioned something about needing to get stronger. Shanna’s apparently a little freaked that he might turn to steroids, even though Henry says he’s gotten the message about how bad those are.”

“My players won’t go near steroids,” Aidan said flatly. “I’ll make sure of that. Tell Shanna she doesn’t have anything to worry about. I’ll start hammering that message home first thing at Tuesday’s practice. I hope to work with each player next week and come up with an individualized training plan for the summer. And just because school’s out doesn’t mean I won’t be following up to make sure they stay on track.”

Liz regarded him with approval. “I was right,” she said with satisfaction.

“About what?”

“The kind of coach you’re going to be. It’s great that you care so much. The high school is very lucky to have you.”

“We’ll see if the players agree once I start getting serious about their workouts,” he said.

“I think they’re going to take to it like ducks to water,” she said at once. “Those boys want so badly to prove themselves and start winning. Nothing against Coach Gentry. He’s a great guy, but he didn’t have what it took to motivate them or to teach them what it would take to improve.”

“And you think I do?”

“I know it,” she said with confidence.

She also thought he had what it took to heal her heart, if only she weren’t so terrified that he could just as easily break it.

6 (#ulink_7e50a44f-b0ac-54b4-9d32-51ed99ad59a8)

Aidan was halfway up the walkway to Liz’s when she opened the front door. Archie bounded out with an ecstatic bark, paused to pick up a tennis ball, then almost knocked Aidan to the ground in his exuberance.

“Is it me or the pizza he’s excited about?” he called out to Liz, who stood where she was, laughing and leaving him to extricate himself from the situation.

“Let’s just say I’ve never seen him get that worked up over pizza before, and it’s a staple around here,” she said. “Archie, behave! Get back here.”

Instead of obeying, Archie sat down in the middle of the sidewalk blocking Aidan’s way, dropped a tennis ball at his feet and looked up at him with adoring eyes. Despite himself, Aidan couldn’t help chuckling.

“If you want me to play with you, you have to let me inside so I can put dinner down,” he scolded.

The dog’s response was to pick up the ball, then drop it again in an attempt to get his own message across.

Aidan cast a helpless look in Liz’s direction. “I think we’re at a stalemate. Can you grab this pizza?”

She came out wearing shorts and a tank top that almost caused him to swallow his tongue. With her feet bare, he couldn’t help noticing that her toenails were painted a pale pink that reminded him of seashells. Though her hair had been pulled back neatly all day, tonight she’d swept it up on her head in a careless knot that left damp blond tendrils framing her face. She looked as if the weight of the day had been washed away by a quick shower.

“You look...” Words failed him.

“Clean?” she suggested.

He laughed. “Way better than that.”

“I needed to get out of those clothes and into something comfortable,” she said. “A shower helped, too. I was feeling pretty grungy.”

“You looked great before, but you look even better now. Being relaxed suits you.”

“Doesn’t it suit everyone?” she replied, reaching for the pizza. “You have five minutes with Archie or I can’t promise there will be any of this left by the time you get inside.”