Page 49 of Day Break

“That was my other cousin, Derrick. I guess my entire family is staying at the old house for the summer,” he said with a groan as I cleared away most of the blood.

“I’m going to get the medical kit.” I turned to go, but Lane took my hand in his, stopping me.

“I’m okay. Really. My cousins used to do a lot worse to me when we were kids,” he said with a half-smile.

“That doesn’t make it right,” I pointed out. “Besides, you could get an infection. Let me clean you up.”

He finally nodded, so I disappeared into the bathroom and retrieved the medical kit George kept there.

I’d used it that first day when I’d found him on the floor. Now, as I cleaned the small cut on Lane’s lip, I assessed the similarities between the men.

Aside from their looks, they both had kind and patient eyes. George was decades older, of course, but that just allowed me to see into Lane’s future.

That had me thinking of my own parents. Who were they really? Growing up, I had known at least two dozen women that could have been my mother and three men that could have been my father.

Once again, I was thankful I had never gotten pregnant. My husband had believed it was my fault. Over the years, every time I failed to add to his brood of children, he would use it as an excuse to lash out and hit me.

The three wives he’d had before me had not produced any of his children either, to my knowledge. They had children prior to marrying him, but none had come after.

He’d married several more wives with children of their own, and not one had ended up pregnant after.

From day one of my marriage, I had silently prayed my periods would remain steady and had been thankful when they had.

“There,” I said, pulling back to assess the damage. For such a small cut, there sure had been a lot of blood.

Lane’s hands brushed the back of my hand.

“Thanks,” he said softly.

I swallowed the rush of desire that flowed from the simple contact, consuming my entire body in a wave.

I didn’t feel as if I could get myself under control around him. Why?

I didn’t like sex. I didn’t like being this close to a man. I never had before.

“Chloe,” Lane said, but then he glanced over my shoulder.

I looked around and saw George frowning at us in the doorway.

“What’s happened, boy?” he asked.

“Phil isn’t the only one staying on the island this summer,” Lane said as he stood up.

While I cleaned up the soiled gauze and towels that I’d used to clean the blood from Lane’s face, Lane filled George in on his cousin’s visit.

After that, I busied myself making dinner and preparing several desserts for the coming days. Rolling bread soothed the desires and worries and caused them all to fade away.

George and Lane had stepped out on the deck to talk, but since it was now raining, they stayed under the overhang of the porch.

Byron lay at my feet while I put the final touches on dinner. I’d made braised ham, rice with a sweet caramel sauce, and an avocado salad. For dessert, I’d made monkey bread.

I knew how much George liked his sweets after dinner and since baking was one of my true joys, I didn’t disappoint him.

It had been over a year since I’d been given free rein in a kitchen. I found it both soothing and therapeutic.

Shortly before I was done preparing dinner, two cars pulled up outside.

George stepped in while Lane waited to greet the newcomers.