Page 33 of The Magic of Sea Glass
Brody got out as well and greeted Stephanie. “I’ll run in and get us all a beer. Y’all feel free to go around to the back deck and I’ll meet you out there.” He bounded up the few porch steps and headed inside, the screen door clapping shut behind him.
“It’s great to see you tonight,” Stephanie said, meeting her in the middle of the driveway.
“Likewise.” Lauren followed her up to the stone path that led around the back of the house, past a line of fishing rods leaning against the log wall of the cabin. “I have to admit, having another female presence around is nice. You’re the first woman I’ve met here who’s similar in age.”
Stephanie gave her a big smile.
The change in scenery lifted Lauren’s mood. This little cabin in the woods felt calming, but she should’ve expected it from Brody, given his laidback personality.
Stephanie opened the gate to the fence that encircled the backyard and, when she did, a big ol’ hound dog came plodding toward them with a sluggish howl.
“Who’s this?” Lauren asked, pushing away the thought of Mason pleading for a puppy that popped into her mind. She couldn’t hide from her memories of him. Even his love of dogs came through.
The dog howled once more.
“That’s Milton.”
At the mention of his name he stopped barking and turned his head to the side, his tail wagging.
Lauren bent down and reached her hand out to Milton. “Hey there, boy,” she said.
The dog walked over to her, and instead of sniffing her fingers the way she’d expected, he put his head in her hand and looked up at her with longing in his eyes.
“Oh my goodness,” she said, the dog’s gesture surprising her. “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing?”
She stood at the sound of the back door.
“He’s a hell of a guard dog,” Brody teased, coming down the steps with the necks of three beers in his fist. He handed one to Lauren and then another to Stephanie. Then he addressed Milton with a shake of his head. “What if those two are here to rob us? You got a backup plan?”
Undeterred, Milton returned his attention to Lauren and pressed his head against her leg.
“Your backup plan is to kill them with kindness. Okay.” Brody led them up the steps to the back porch as Milton followed.
Stephanie sat down on one of the wooden Adirondack chairs that faced a stone exterior fireplace.
“You said you grew up here, right?” Lauren asked.
“Yep.” Stephanie leaned over and clinked her beer with Brody’s. “The two of us have lived here all our lives except for college. And now look at us—both here again.”
The sun cast an orange glow through the leaves in the sweeping expanse of trees, the absolute solitude of it as relaxing as the ocean view from her suite at the inn. “I can see why. It’s incredible here.”
Milton finally made it over to where they were sitting and went straight to Lauren, who bent down and gave him attention.
As she ran her fingers through the dog’s soft fur, Lauren took in an earthy breath of air, reveling in the quiet atmosphere, when she caught Brody looking at her, a soft smile on his lips. They shared a moment, and she felt at peace with him knowing the burden she carried. In a strange way, maybe because he was the first person she had met in the Outer Banks, he suddenly felt like her protector here. And she knew that she was safe with him.
“Brody tells me we can’t talk about the wedding tonight—no work,” Stephanie said, pulling Lauren back to the conversation.
“Yes,” she agreed as if he weren’t part of the discussion. “He told me the same thing.” She tried not to think about the TV show pilot or everything she wanted to get done for the actual ceremony and reception. Instead, she knew that she should follow Brody’s advice and try to relax. If anything, it was a skill she needed to practice.
“I think he just doesn’t want to talk about weddings,” Stephanie said, giving him a playful grin. “He hates marriage.”
“Hate is a strong word,” he said. “I just don’t believe in it—for myself.Youcan do whatever makes you happy.”
Having spent her entire adult life planning weddings, this idea made absolutely no sense to Lauren. She’d been drawn to planning weddings because the overwhelming happiness of the day was enough to carry her through an entire week. She teased Andy once, saying to her that all they needed was a wedding each week and they’d live in bliss for the rest of their lives. “Why don’t you believe in it?”
“He doesn’t like to discuss it,” Stephanie cut in.
Lauren gave him a look that said he had no excuse not to answer after what she’d told him on the way over. Didn’t he say, himself, that he was an open book?
