Page 40 of Miracles and Marriage
By the time they returned to the cottage, Zoe was getting winded and her hair was damp. Cal could have continued another mile, but stopped when she did. He liked running by the sea instead of in the park where he normally went. Maybe they could get away for more weekends and make this a part of their routine.
Wait a minute, he silently admonished himself. Don’t get carried away with this. She was a wife only because he wasn’t risking losing another child to a woman’s whim. They had nothing in common except Protection, Inc. Getting married didn’t meanbeingmarried in the traditional sense.
“Toss you for the shower first,” she said, breathing hard.
“Does the water go cold after one shower?” he asked.
“Are you kidding? With all the people in my family, no one would ever get to bathe if one shower used up all the hot. Granddad put in a huge heater. It’s enough for several showers in a row before the water even starts to cool down.”
Too bad, Cal thought. He could have suggested they bathed together to save water.
“You go first. I’ll do some more exercises out here and come in when you’re finished,” he said.
“Okay. I’ll yell out the window when I’m done.”
He watched her head into the house and shook his head. He was married to a woman so far from the pampered society darlings he’d dated that it was mind-boggling. He tried to picture any of the women he used to date yelling out a window.
An image of his uncle rose. Cal knew with certainty Hal would have liked Zoe.
Turning to face the sea, he dropped to do a series of pushups and then sit-ups. Might as well take the time to catch up on hisphysical exercises. It kept his mind off the tantalizing image of sharing a shower with Zoe.
When Cal came downstairs after his own shower, Zoe was curled up on the sofa leafing through a magazine. She looked up at him.
“Want to go out for breakfast? Or shall I make some pancakes?”
“I thought the idea was to remain hidden.”
“Not hidden, just not out there, you know?”
He shook his head.
“We’ll go to the pancake house in Waterford. It’s not a far drive and I hardly ever go there so the chances of my mother’s best friend spotting us are hugely remote.”
“Where does your mother’s best friend hang out?” Cal asked.
How far would Zoe go to keep their relationship quiet?
“Not anywhere near here, but you know what I mean. Anyone who knows her could ask who is the man her daughter is seeing. That would start speculation I don’t need. Do you like pancakes?”
“Sure, who doesn’t? We can stop at a grocery store later and get food for the rest of the weekend.”
“You can make breakfast tomorrow and I’ll do dinner tonight,” she said, not looking at him.
Zoe wasn’t sure how he’d take being treated like her brothers. She decided that was the best way to act. It was share and share alike in her family. She’d decided on the strategy to keep her sanity. If they could continue their relationship as they had done at work, she’d be able to handle things. If not, she was worried she’d make a blithering idiot of herself before the weekend was over.
“As long as you like omelets,” he said.
“Who doesn’t?” she parroted.
After breakfast, they walked around Waterford. It was a typical seaside resort—catering to tourists in the summer months, quiet and half empty in October.
The sun had warmed the day and being sheltered from the sea breeze by the buildings on Main Street kept the temperatures mild. They walked along gazing into shop windows, stopping inside a place or two. Zoe loved browsing driftwood sculptures. As far as she could tell, Cal had no special interests. But the way he kept watch, his eyes constantly assessing each place, she knew he was too busy figuring out ways he’d protect someone in this environment than in enjoying the sightseeing.
Crossing the empty street to the next block, Zoe saw a small boy standing by the shop door, looking scared.
“Think he’s lost?” she asked Cal.
“Maybe.” He stooped down to be on level with the little boy. “Where’s your mom?” he asked gently.
