Page 55 of Summertime Forgiveness

ChapterTwenty-One

Jo woke up with a start, feeling overwhelmed by the thoughts flooding into her mind. She sat up in the bed and scooted further up to rest her back against the headboard. Her fingers went up to touch her lips, almost as if in a trance.

“It was so real,” she spoke with incredulity. She couldn’t believe that she dreamed about Daniel— Daniel kissing her again, nonetheless. This was the second night in a row that her mind had rested on him.

She hadn’t even gone to bed last night with him on her mind. The last thing she remembered was telling her sisters how much she had missed Charles and them telling her that with time it would get easier. Yet here she was dreaming about another man.

Why did he have to kiss me?She needed to see him.

Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, she got up and went to the bathroom to do her routine and get the day started. Donning some skinny jeans and a plain white tee, she tied her hair into a high ponytail and headed over to the Bistro.

“Hi, Suzie,” she greeted the bubbly young woman. “Is Daniel in?”

“Hi, Jo,” she greeted back. “No, today is the chef’s day off. We’re actually serving deli items from the kiosk for today,” the young woman informed her.

“Oh,” Jo replied, disappointed. “That’s a bummer. I really need to see him today. I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow then. See you later, Suzie,” she said, waving goodbye.

“Bye, Jo.” Suzie waved. “Um, Jo,” Suzie called out just as Jo was about to step through the door.

“Yes?” Jo asked, turning to face the girl.

“The chef’s phone number and address are in the sign-in book if you really need to see him today,” she said. “It’s at the front.”

“Thanks, Suzie,” Jo returned with a grateful smile, heading for the kitchen where the book was kept.

After inputting the information into her phone, she made the ten-minute walk back to the main house to get her keys and the car. The house was still silent when she stepped in, so she decided to send Cora a message as she pulled out of her parking spot. She texted her that she was heading out, and that she would be back later.

“Okay, be safe,” her sister replied almost instantly.

“I will, thanks,” she sent back.

“All right, Jo. You’re not looking for a relationship. You just need him to answer a few questions.” She gave herself a pep talk as she drove along the highway on her way to Daniel’s home out on Lexington. “You just need to set some boundaries. You didn’t do that the last time so now you have to.”

As the GPS announced that she was less than six miles away, her panic level went up a notch. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. She had been known to make rash decisions in the heat of the moment— maybe this was one of them.

By the time the GPS stated that she was only a half mile away, her heart was beating erratically, and she could feel the perspiration at the nape of her neck even though the air was cool. She chose to focus on the scenery instead of what her body was doing.

She noted that the area was heavily wooded, mainly with evergreens that obscured the properties and blocked the view of Penn Cove. The properties seemed to be few and far and in between.

“In six hundred feet, turn left and continue driving for nine hundred and eighty feet.” Jo followed the directives of her GPS and made the left turn onto a dirt road that opened up between the trees and continued driving for another nine hundred feet.

“You have arrived at your destination.”

Jo looked out at the property before her in awe. The house had a Cape Cod architecture feel to it with its sharp, slanting roof and French-styled dormer windows. The centered porch protruded away from the house with its gabled roof slightly higher than the rest of the roof and a nice brick chimney just behind one of the slopes. Jo loved the quaintness. She especially loved the a-typical duck egg blue that it was painted in and the small decorative shrubs and wildflowers that lined either side of the porch.

Mustering her courage, she finally stepped out of the car and took the steps up the porch and rang the doorbell. In less than ten seconds, Daniel stood before her with a look of surprise etched on his face.

“Hi,” she spoke, cringing at the breathiness of her voice. Clearing her throat, she started again. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time,” she said with a small, unsure smile.

“You’re…here?” Daniel looked at Jo with a level of uncertainty that indicated he wasn’t sure if what he was seeing was real.

“I am,” Jo confirmed, wringing her fingers.

“You’re here,” he repeated, this time stating rather than asking. “Would you like to come in?” he asked.

“Um… sure, sure.”

Daniel stepped to the side, giving her space to enter the house. She noticed quickly that although the outside made the small home look compact, it was actually very spacious. The room had an open floor plan. She was standing in the living room that was fully furnished with a large beige, eight-seat sectional sofa and an ottoman. A large television was mounted on the opposite wall with an entertainment center housing music speakers and various gadgets. A few feet from the living room was the dining area, and behind that was the kitchen.

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