Page 15 of In Another Lifetime

With a wave, he took off, and I was alone with the woman who’d started sparking long-dead parts of me back to life for some unfathomable reason. Unfathomable besides that I liked her, she made me laugh, and fuck, she was too gorgeous for my pleasure centers to ignore. Which seemed foreign to me. The part of my brain that noticed things like that had been long dormant, too.

“Well, I guess it’s just us.” She set down the plate, so she could hand me one of the bottles. “Wanna take our drinks and the dessert and sit over by the fire?”

While I’d been, putting together the grill earlier, Brennan had started the square firepit that went with the furniture on the side of the wide porch. Really, I loved Vale’s backyard, which had been set-up for outdoor lounging, dining and cooking.

“I love what you’ve done here,” I said, indicating to the porch where I could easily see myself hanging out. Melonie and I had always had plans for our backyard, but it had fallen off my list and been forgotten when surviving had become the priority. Maybe, it was time to get something done for me and Brennan. And we could invite Vale over…

“I always wanted a backyard like this. A place where I can live outside when the weather’s nice.”

“My wife always wanted one like this, too,” I said when we sat on the plush cushions of the couch.

“Wife,” she echoed, but it didn’t sound like a question.

“Yeah, she… I’m a widower.”

Vale nodded, and I saw her search for some words to offer. It was the same expression I’d seen on so many other people’s faces when they looked at me with strained, uncomfortable sympathy. While sympathy played through Vale’s eyes, she didn’t appear as if she were looking for a quick escape from an uncomfortable conversation.

“I’m so sorry for what you’ve been though, Dayton.”

“Thank you. She… She was murdered. I don’t tell people that, usually. I mean, everyone who knows me—or knows people who know me.—they all know what happened. But other people, strangers, I don’t usually…” Geez, where were my words? “I don’t usually mention anything. It’s not really a talking point, you know? But I figure… Well, I should tell you.”

She nodded.

“It was five years ago,” I added.

“And you don’t know how to move forward. Have you moved forward?”

No one had ever asked me that. “There hasn’t been anyone else, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve been in a holding pattern. They never caught the murderer. No leads. It’s been… We’ve, Brennan and me, we’ve been living in this bubble, I suppose you could say. We’re both learning to move on. Him more than me, maybe.” I shook my head, staring at the stars overhead. “Shit. I can’t believe I’m laying this one you.”

“It’s okay. Really.”

“Thing is…lately… Christ, I don’t want to sound like a miserable dog. But I’ve been…”

What could I say? Coming back to life and noticing my hot as fuck neighbor? Realizing I wasn’t dead, too, after all? Everything that came to my lips seemed skeevy or a betrayal.

Vale reached over and squeezed my hand, and a sizzle seemed to course up my arm then straight down to my balls. And holy fuck, what was that?

“We can just be friends, okay?” she offered. “I like you, but I don’t want to rush you into anything.”

She liked me.

“You know, Brennan gave me a pep talk before he went.”

Her grin seemed so bright astronauts could see it from space. “Did he?”

“Yeah, he informed me it’s time to start moving forward. And look, I… I don’t know how to explain it. From that very first day when you came over to introduce yourself, I’ve felt something for you. A draw to you that I…” I shrugged. “I don’t know how to explain it or… if I’m ready for it.”

“You feel guilty.” Again, not a question.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Wouldn’t I?”

“No! I’m here living my life and maybe starting to fall for you. So fast. So fucking fast. We’ve never even had a date. And she’s dead. Murdered. And I haven’t been able to do a fucking thing about it. I haven’t given her closure. How can I move on? How dare I?”

Jesus. Now, Vale would think I was a basket case and run as far and fast from me as she could. Fuck.

“I’m sorry,” I added. “I shouldn’t dump that on you. That’s not how I am.”

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