Page 15 of Taking Root

The waiter came in for the save before they waded through deeper waters.

“Could we get this food wrapped up?” Danny asked, gesturing to the half-eaten plate in front of her.

“Not a problem,” the guy said in clipped voice as he cast a glance over to Betty’s table. Obviously, he’d noticed the “scene.” Guy would faint in a bar brawl at the normal dives she frequented.

“I’ve got the bill,” Adrian said, pressing a card into the waiter’s hand. Before she could stop him, the waiter took off with their plates to get them hustling out of Siren’s Call as fast as possible.

Danny rooted through her purse for the cash she always kept on hand. “Tell me how much I owe you.”

Adrian arched a brow. “I invited you here. It’s on me.”

She fixed him with a look, but he stared back, unwavering. Danny heaved a sigh, conceding this battle. “Well, thanks. I wasn’t trying to cut our dinner short, but I figured we could skip the dirty looks from your ex and go for a walk on the beach instead.”

“I’d like that,” he responded. “Don’t know if you figured it out yet, but I’m not one for fine dining. I prefer ‘shitty’ family dinners any day of the week.” His voice dripped with acid, and he didn’t bother trying to hide the hurt blazing in those blues.

She shrugged. “While this was fun and the food fantastic, I’d give anything to grow up having the family dinners you’re talking about. Mom and I did our best, but after everything went to shit, those became part of the distant past.” She skated around specifics, but even the mention of Mom caused her throat to tighten.

The waiter bustled over carrying their dishes wrapped in some weird origami while he passed the check to Adrian, returning his card. Danny tucked a couple of strands of hair behind her ear before she grabbed the glass of wine in front of her and tipped back what remained. Betty kept glancing their way, shooting looks like lead-tipped arrows. Thankfully, Danny wore bitch-proof armor, so she wasn’t sweating the blows.

Adrian rose from his seat and walked over to her side, offering his arm. “Let’s go for a walk. I could use the fresh air.”

Despite the beautiful arrangement of peonies in the vase beside a wide pane of glass placing the sea in full display, Danny couldn’t wait to get out of there. While Siren’s Call had been an adventure with Adrian, she didn’t need fancy dinners to find him unforgettable. Besides, she felt most at home digging her toes in the earth or sand. She slipped her arm through his, and together they strode out of the restaurant, ignoring the prickle of stares following them.

“I, for one, think we brought some necessary excitement to the place,” she murmured as they neared the door.

“You have a habit of doing that,” he responded. He pushed the door open, and they entered the cool night air. Breezes enveloped her, but before she could even shiver, Adrian wrapped his arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer in. Danny melted against him, the heat and his salt and cedar scent rising to her head like a drug. Instead of heading for his car, they took the lined pathway leading to a long stretch of beach, right where the tides crashed to the shore.

When they reached the end of the walkway, Danny leaned down to kick off her heels. She scooped them in her hand and returned to the warmth of Adrian’s arm around her shoulder. Seeing all his broken pieces back there at the restaurant stung her with rage and guilt. He deserved so much better.

Better than someone like her, who’d do the same.

Danny wasn’t an idiot. She hadn’t missed the look in his eyes, like she was the first sunlit day after weeks of rain.

“I know I’m seeing the bitter aftermath, but what was Betty’s original appeal?” Danny asked, unable to help her curiosity. Besides, the longer the silence stretched between them, the more she veered closer to doing something stupid.

Adrian let out a ragged sigh. “We went to med school together, and with the levels of stress and craziness there, you forge bonds that are ironclad—at least, I figured. Betty was whip smart, top of her class, and ambitious. I admired those things, and I thought we helped each other grow into the best versions of ourselves.”

Danny couldn’t help the twist of jealousy in her chest, something she didn’t even deserve to feel. “What changed?” She kicked grains of the still-warm sand as they walked, staring at the ground beneath her while her pumps hung off her fingers.

Adrian nudged them closer to the ocean while they continued to walk. The crash and boom of the mighty waves echoed in the air. “She wanted to keep leaping higher. Move on to bigger, better things. I liked my hospital and wanted to stick around and devote time to my family. We would get in fights almost daily—she claimed I couldn’t let go of my control, that I always tried to fix situations. She may have been right.”

Danny’s brows drew together. “Okay…well, why?” she asked as they reached the edge of the dry sand, right where the waves slithered up to send shells tumbling. “If you’re feeling like you constantly need to fix your family or fix fires at your work—why?”

He pulled his arm away to run his fingers through his hair before letting out a sigh. “That’s a great question, but I don’t know if I have an answer. As the oldest, I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, and part of me loves the feeling of strength I get from being able to fix people’s problems. As a useful part of the family, they’ll never cut me loose.”

Like Betty did. Like Danny did when she vanished.

Danny’s throat tightened, and she reached over to weave her fingers through his, leaving her pumps discarded on the sand.

She brought him forward, and together, they took their first stumbling steps into the shivering cold waters that nipped at her toes. The foam slithered around her ankles before receding.

“It’s been such a long time since I had any control over my life that I sometimes forget what stable feels like,” Danny murmured, needing to share some part of her. Even if she couldn’t tell him the facts or fill in the blanks of her story, he still could know her, deep down. She was no better than the shells by her feet, tumbling this way and that at the beck and call of the waves. Whether her cover got compromised or her dad moved cities, something always pulled her away every time she tried to settle into an area.

Adrian squeezed her hand tight. And then he kicked a spray of water in her direction.

Danny spluttered as the ice-cold drops imprinted on her dress and splashed against her face, the surprise smacking into her. For a second, she stood there gaping at him as a hesitant smile curled his lips.

The bubble in her chest expanded and burst as laughs exploded from her. “You fucker,” she shouted, kicking a spray of water back at him. A huge smile lit his face, his eyes glittering in amusement as the spray soaked into his sportscoat and button-down. He didn’t even bother rolling up his pant legs as he waded in deeper, the water staining the fabric. He let go of her to reach down and scoop more water before flinging it her way.

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