A Love to Treasure (Sunriver Dreams Book 1) (6 page)

“Here’s your change.”

“Keep it.”

“Thanks.” He pocketed the coins. “How much longer are you working?”

“Until five.”

“Oh.” Connor’s shoulders slumped. “Sarah gets off at five too. She said we could play tennis tonight.”

“What about her friends, Tina and Marge?”

“They left.”

“That’s good news, right?” Mark walked his bike back the direction they’d come with Connor beside him.

“Yeah. I have the house to myself now. No more nail polish, constant chatter, and the perfume—yuck.” He rolled his eyes. “I hate the smell of that stuff!”

Mark chuckled. “Your cousin seems girly to me.”

“Nope. Sarah is more of a tomboy. She’s nothing like her friends.”

“Odd they’d be friends with so little in common. Then again I have friends that are complete opposites of me.”

Connor shot him a sideways glance. “Before Sarah became a Christian she was into partying. That’s how she met the double-trouble-twins.”

“Huh? Twins? They don’t even look related.”

Connor laughed. “They’re not. It’s my nickname for them. So what’s with the blonde I saw you with? You like her or what?”

“Maybe, but we don’t know each other well. I just keep running into her.”

“My mom would call that fate.”

Mark didn’t respond. He had no intention of taking this branch of their conversation further.

“Where you headed?” Connor asked.

“Thought I might ride over to the lodge and around the golf course. Want to tag along?”

His eyes lit with excitement. “Sure!”

Mark held back a chuckle with a cough. “If I have to deal with anything, you’ll need to stay out of the way. Okay?” They came to the edge of the village, and Mark straddled the seat.

Connor nodded. “This is so cool! Wait until I tell my mom.”

“Will she mind?”

“Nah. She’ll think it’s cool too. She’s worried about me.” He bit his lip.

“Why’s that? She hear about the water balloons?” Mark teased as they rode slowly side-by-side.

“She thinks I’m becoming a,” he scrunched his face, “hooligan. Her words.”

Poor kid
. He’d seen more than his share of kids labeled at a young age, and those labels too often stuck—or became prophetic. “Are you?” He liked Connor and didn’t want him to subconsciously try to live up to the label his mother had given him.

“Nah.”

“Good.”

“Maybe you could play tennis with me and Sarah tonight.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think so.” Nothing against Sarah, but he didn’t want to give her any reason to think he was interested. Now Nicole, on the other hand, had something about her that drew him and piqued his interest. Too bad
she
wasn’t the boy’s cousin. Then he’d have a built-in excuse to spend time with her.

He’d have to find ways to be with Nicole without being too obvious and scare her away. Although she was friendly, he had a feeling one wrong move by him and she’d be history where he was concerned.

The next afternoon, with freshly painted nails, Nicole left the resort spa and crossed through the parking lot to her car, shifting the large gift bag from one hand to the other. Sunlight glinted off the windshield of a parked car, blinding her for a moment. She stopped next to her car door and felt through her purse for her keys.

Grams really had her perplexed. She’d expected a note with a clue at the spa, but what she’d received left her confused—a black dress and slinky sandals, but no note. What was she supposed to do? Clearly Grams had planned something, but sadly she forgot to let Nicole in on her plan. Was the game over already? No, Grams always ended with a bang and usually a life lesson too.

“Hey there.”

Nicole looked over her shoulder. “Hi, Mark. How’s it going?”

He coasted to a stop beside her. “Fine. Is everything okay? You look troubled.”

She held up the bag. “Another surprise from my grandma. Only this one I can’t figure out. I wonder if I missed another clue?” She had run the last clue she’d found over and over in her mind, but nothing helped.

“Sounds intriguing. Maybe I can help.” He rested his elbows on the handlebars and looked expectantly at her.

She shook her head. “Not unless you can explain what I’m supposed to do with a little black dress and sandals.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t know what to do with a little black dress and sandals?”

“She usually leaves a note or a clue of some kind.”

He straightened and reached for the bag. “May I?”

She handed it over and watched him dig through it. “What are you looking for?”

“I thought maybe there might be something you missed, but it appears the clothes are the clue.” He gave the bag back.

“I have the clue I found at the house. Do you think that might help?”

He shrugged.

She pulled it from her bag and held it out to him.

He unfolded the white sheet of paper. “‘Congratulations on following the clues that led to the house. I hope you are game for all I have prepared for you. Have you enjoyed your stay so far in Sunriver? Did you try the spa? If not, your skills are slipping, dear one. Keep your eyes, ears, and heart open so you don’t miss another clue. Don’t forget to bring along a good book.’”

“What do you think?” Nicole reached for the paper, then tucked it back into her bag.

“It’s interesting. Especially the part about a good book. Any idea if that part is significant?”

“Probably, but I have no idea which book she’s referring to.”

He shrugged. “She said to keep your heart open. Maybe she’s hoping you’ll find love or at least go on a date. And that’s why she gave you the dress.”

Nicole’s cheeks burned. She should have thought of that. It sounded exactly like something Grams would do. Now she regretted letting Mark read the clue. How humiliating. “I . . .” How was she supposed to respond? Words escaped her. She looked everywhere except at Mark. How did she get herself out of this embarrassing situation?

Mark cleared his throat.

Her gaze swept to him.

He stared at his handlebars for a moment before looking up, straight into her eyes. “I clean up pretty good. If you’re interested,
we
could get dinner together.” He dipped his chin and raised a brow.

Nicole’s heart pounded. Was he asking her out? What should she say? She’d never been skilled at relationships. Mark seemed like a good guy, and she didn’t want to hurt him.

“What? Do I have a dead bug on my face or something?” He lifted a hand to his cheek.

She chuckled, grateful for the note of humor. “No. You just surprised me.”

“Oh. So, how about dinner?”

“Thanks for the offer, but to be honest I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

“Why? I mean, I know we didn’t get off to the best start, but I think we could manage to get along for an evening.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “When you put it like that. I suppose I’m making a bigger deal out of this than it is. It’s only dinner. Not a marriage proposal.”

He laughed. “Nope. I’m not in the market for that.”

“Good, because my ex-boyfriend said I’m terrible at the relationship thing.” A flush crept across her face, and her heart beat a rapid staccato as lightheadedness washed over her. She swayed slightly and felt a hand on her arm. Her gaze traveled from the hand up the arm and rested on Mark’s face.

“Are you all right? Maybe you should sit.”

“No. I’m fine other than being embarrassed. I’m probably dizzy because I’m dehydrated and need to drink more water.” She had to lighten the mood. She glanced around the parking lot and spotted a couple of kids near the Bike Barn. “I hear Connor is pretty taken with you. All he could talk about was you and how he got to ride along while you were patrolling the bike trail yesterday.”

“You know about that?”

“Sarah called and invited me to join them for a game of tennis last night, and let’s just say you made a lasting impression on the kid.”

“He reminds me of myself at his age.”

“You had a deadbeat dad and a mom that didn’t have time for you too?”

He lifted a brow.

“Sarah told me a little about Connor’s home life, and it’s not pretty.” She felt bad for Sarah’s cousin but didn’t really know how to help. It wasn’t like a twelve-year-old boy would want to spend the day at the spa with her. But, maybe she could think of some way to ease the monotony of being alone all day. After all, she was a teacher; surely she could think of something.

“I only know that his dad left, and he blames himself.”

Her breath caught. “I didn’t know he blamed himself. That’s sad. I wish I could help him, too. Any ideas?”

“Be his friend.”

“Yeah.” Easier said than done, but she’d make sure the boy had her number in case he needed something. “I should be going. And about dinner. Yes.”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Okay. I’ll be in touch.” He waved, then pedaled away.

She watched his strong calves pump the pedals, power surging in each thrust. She pulled her gaze from him, slid behind the wheel of her Mini Cooper S, and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Would Grams really give her a knockout outfit with no place to wear it? Mark asked her out, but no way could anyone, including Grandma, have predicted that.

Jamming the car in gear, she backed out and zipped over to the village. A book she’d ordered awaited her, and she couldn’t wait to spend the afternoon reading. She chuckled at the irony. Only a few days ago she’d been uptight at wasting time, and now this whole relaxation thing sounded like a good idea, especially after her conversation with Mark. She slid out of her car and quickly walked toward the bookstore.

A group of kids rested against the wall surrounding the mini golf course laughing and pointing. Someone must be providing them with good entertainment. She edged close to see what was so funny, but before she could get close enough the group scattered leaving one kid behind—Connor. “Hi there.”

Connor whirled to face her. “Hey.”

“What happened to your friends?”

He shrugged. “They aren’t my friends. I was only standing here.”

“Oh.” Her earlier thoughts about the pre-teen flooded her mind. She pulled a pen and a scrap of paper from her purse. “I wanted to give you my number in case you need anything while Sarah is at work.” She jotted her number down and thrust the paper toward him.

“Uh, thanks.” He stuffed it in his pocket and looked past her.

The unmistakable scent of waffle cones filled the air, giving her an idea. “I’m headed to the bookstore, but thought maybe I’d detour at the ice cream shop. Care for a cone? My treat.”

His face lit. “Sure. Thanks!”

Nicole grinned. “Make it a single scoop. My pockets aren’t deep.” They walked side-by-side into the ice cream shop and stood in line. “What’re you going to do until Sarah gets home today?”

“When I’m done here, I thought about fishing.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“You fish?”

“No, but I’d love to sit on the riverbank. That is, if you don’t mind the company. I can read the book I was on my way to buy and you can fish.”

“Why?” He narrowed his eyes.

“I’m here by myself for the summer, and I get lonely. What do you say? Can I hang out with you this afternoon?”

“Suit yourself.”

It wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic response, but she could tell by the gleam in his eyes that her company was welcome. They stepped up to the counter and placed their orders.

It looked as though Grams’ game would help more than only her. Connor would benefit too. At least she hoped her company would be a positive thing. Wait until she told Mark she spent the afternoon fishing. She tilted her head in wonder that her thoughts immediately strayed to Mark.

Chapter Seven

Mark couldn’t shake his conversation with Nicole as he entered the police department. This game she was playing for her grandmother intrigued him. He looked around the bullpen and spotted Spencer.