Dockside (34 page)

N
ina heard the thud of a trunk lid slamming shut. She saw Greg’s shoulders stiffen, as though he was bracing himself for a blow. They were in the foyer of his house, bracing themselves to say goodbye to Daisy.

Outside, the exhaust from Daisy’s idling car plumed into the overcast sky of the wintry afternoon. Early twilight was coming on, and a cold quiet settled over the landscape. Greg had spent half the day checking and re-checking the car to make sure it was winterized, the tires checked, the windows scraped, everything in working order, as though his daughter was about to make a cross-country trek rather than a drive to the other side of the river, to a small house of her own on the road to New Paltz.

It wasn’t the distance, though. Nina understood that. It was the fact that Daisy was leaving Greg’s house, a transition far more wrenching and complicated than a mere change of venue. She’d lived at home for five months after the baby was born, but now she was eager to move on to her new life. She had spent the past hour loading the last of her things. The baby, thickly bundled into his carseat, was already sound asleep. In a few minutes, they would soon be on their way.

Nina studied Greg’s face, noting the tension in his jaw, and wished there was something she could say to ease his mind. They had known for a long time that Daisy was leaving. Now that the actual day had arrived, his apprehension was palpable.

Her heart squeezed in sympathy for him. Loving someone meant more than hearts and flowers. Sometimes it meant hurting when he hurt. There had been a time when she’d been afraid of this, afraid of the complications in his life. She wasn’t afraid now. She zipped up her parka and went to the door with him.

“It’s going to be okay,” she said. “You know that, don’t you?”

He pulled her in close, kissed her temple. “Yeah. I do.”

“She’s got everything she needs from you,” Nina told him, thinking of Sonnet, so far away at college. Nina had given herself the same advice, every time her stomach clenched with worry and her heart ached with missing her daughter.

He took her hand, and they stepped out into the cold afternoon to tell Daisy goodbye. Nina bent down and gently touched the sleeping bundle in the backseat. Emile—whom everyone called Charlie, thank God—was the center of Daisy’s world, and Nina knew he always would be.

Greg gave his daughter a long hug, cupping his hand around the back of her head, the way he’d probably done when Daisy was a little girl. “Be careful on the road,” he said.

“Always,” she promised. “Tell Max to call when he gets home from school. See you around, Daddy-O.”

“Count on it.”

And just like that, she was gone, tires crunching along the driveway. Nina and Greg watched until the car rounded the bend to the main road, leaving a vacuum of silence behind. There were no guests at the inn today; the season was at its lowest ebb, and the parking lot was empty. A few lights glowed in the boathouse above the dock, reminding her that she’d planned to spend the afternoon working at the computer.

She shivered and glanced up to find Greg watching her, a peculiar expression on his face. “You all right?” she asked him.

“I’m okay.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded, turning to her and resting his hands on her shoulders. “I’m so damn glad you’re here, Nina.”

She smiled, tilting her head to the side, trying to figure out what was going on with him.

“Nina,” he said, “the first time I saw you, you were just a kid, hanging around Camp Kioga. But even back then, I knew that somehow you were going to be special to me. And you were. You are. Every day I wake up more in love with you than I was the day before, and that’s not going to end for me, ever.”

She forgot to breathe. She knew where this was going, and she couldn’t even move. She hoped her mouth wasn’t hanging open in amazement. She hoped her expression was as bright with love as his.

He was endearingly anxious as he went down on one knee, his hand reaching into a pocket and bringing out a ring. His hand trembled, and he gave an unsteady laugh. “Sorry, I’m nervous. I’ve been carrying this around for days, trying to figure out the best time to ask you.”

“Now would be good,” she whispered, her breath freezing in the winter air. “Ask me now.
Please.
”

He pressed his lips to the back of her hand, then looked steadily up at her. “I’ve never done this before, and I don’t plan on doing it again. You’re my one shot. Nina Romano, will you marry me?”

She’d imagined this moment so many times since last summer. She’d dreamed about it, wished for it. She knew she’d be consumed by emotion when she heard the actual words, but she hadn’t realized she would be too happy to speak. So she nodded her head, and then the tears came, the tears she’d sworn she wouldn’t shed, and finally, she managed to answer. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I love you, Greg. I always will.”

Without taking his eyes off her, he rose to his feet and slipped the ring on her finger. It was a simple solitaire, the gold quickly warming to her flesh.

“It’s a perfect fit,” Greg said. He kissed her gently, and she could feel his lips curving into a smile. He lifted his mouth from hers and said, “Whew. That went well.”

She put her arms around his waist and laughed with joy. “I’d say so.” Then she stepped back and studied their joined hands, her finger now encircled with his ring, a glittering promise of their future. She wasn’t cold at all now, wrapped in happiness as she pictured them together in the boxy, old-fashioned house at the Inn at Willow Lake.

“Let’s go inside,” Greg said, taking her hand and leading her up the path. “I’ve got big plans for us.”