Page 69 of Rosie and the Beast Next Door

Orin backed up, and this time, Hudson let him retreat. Orin turned with his hands in his pockets and tucked his head low as he headed toward the marina.

Hudson tilted his head to indicate that he was going to follow Orin. Neither of us trusted him. I nodded, and he took off as well, leaving me and Rosie alone. I’d never describe Rosie as fragile, but in that moment, she seemed poised to break, and I needed to get her away from the crowd.

“I want to show you something.”

Chapter 27

Rosie

Dylan gripped my handtighter as he pushed aside the overgrown poplar and alder branches that hung low over the path, and stepped into a shadowed, crumbling graveyard. The grave markers were nearly impossible to read, but the ones I could make out were from at least three hundred years ago. Wild salmonberry bushes bursting with fruit extended over the graves, nearly swallowing them up.

It was clearly forgotten and neglected.

I still couldn’t believe Dad had showed up in town like that. He said he was getting bored, being holed up in my boat.

But what about me?

Shame ran through me. What a selfish, sour-lemon thought. Project Sweet Lemon meant I needed to think about my dad and his needs.

“I used to come here all the time when I was growing up,” Dylan said quietly, bringing my thoughts back to the present. He kept a hold of my hand as he led me farther into the graveyard. Sun drifted through the dappled leaves and looked like glitter atop Dylan’s hair and shoulders. “I know everyonethinks graveyards are creepy, but this one always felt peaceful to me. When I saw your painting that first morning, it reminded me of this.”

Wild flowers poked up through the long grass and surrounded a log, perfect for two people to sit on. It felt like something out of a fantasy movie—all we needed was magical music in the background and a couple of elves.

I sat beside Dylan, our legs and sides pressed together to both fit. He held my hand against his leg, and I wondered if he even realized it. He absently ran his thumb over my palm, and the action stole my breath.

“I used to come here when I needed to think.”

“What would you think about?” I was relieved for the subject change. I’d expected him to grill me about my dad, and I didn’t quite know how to answer.

“Everything. How I was going to go pro. What life would be like when I left Winterhaven. My crush on Mrs. Mabel.”

I laughed and bumped my shoulder into his. “Stop it. You lie.”

“I’m telling the honest truth.” He grinned mischievously, his face inches from mine. “The way she talked about Robert Frost freshman year? It was love at first sight.”

I just shook my head but couldn’t bite back my smile.

All this space in this hidden graveyard, and we were sitting in the tiniest fraction of it. But nothing could compel me to move. Not even the wisps of grass that tickled my ankles, or the rough bark pressing into my legs.

His expression turned more serious. “Mostly, I came here to stare up at the sky and dream. No one, except Shiloh, understood my drive to leave Winterhaven and play hockey. I was never the best player, but I worked the hardest, and I never stopped. Not when we were on breaks for college. Not when we made it pro. Every spare second I’ve had since I was thirteen has gone toward playing hockey.”

“Is this the first break you’ve ever really taken?”

“Yeah.”

It was no wonder he often acted like he had no idea what to do with himself. For most of his life, he’d worked nonstop, driven toward one constant goal, and now that it had been taken from him, he was lost.

A butterfly flitted around the colorful wild poppies near one of the graves, dipping in and out of the flowers. “It’s peaceful,” I said to him. “I had no idea this was here.”

“Me, Shiloh, and Hudson used to spend hours exploring Winterhaven when we were kids. We all had our favorite spots. Charlie loves the trails behind Main Street, and Lily loves the huge field of flowers near my parents’ house. They never understood why I’d love this graveyard so much.”

“What about Shiloh?”

“His favorite place was the pond in the forest near the back of our neighborhood. We’d swim there in the summer and play hockey there in the winter, and since he was in love with Lily, he’d always hope she’d come by and see him.”

“He loved Lily? Did she know?” I tried to keep the incredulity out of my voice. Bennett had loved Lily, too, so clearly she had redeeming qualities, even if I couldn’t see them.

“Nope. He’d always planned on coming back to Winterhaven after college and confessing his love, but then he met his wife, Amelia, and he fell instantly, head-over-heels in love with her. Lily had been a crush. Amelia was the love of his life.

---