Chapter 4

Chapter Four

I t really wasn't a hardship training Dean and keeping up with her own schedule. The second day of training Dean had gone better than she'd expected. He was picking up the techniques quickly and showed a genuine passion for the work. Watching him learn and grow into his role was satisfying, and she found herself looking forward to their sessions more than she'd anticipated.

As they wrapped up the last client of the day, Dean wiped his hands after washing off the oils and lotions and grinned at her. God, that smile did things to her, but she pushed that thought to the back of her mind. She had to stay professional if she wasn't going to ruin their friendship. Sure, they had flirted over the years, but she doubted she would be able to take his rejection if she tried for something more.

She'd been rejected loads of times before, but with Dean, it mattered.

"Thanks for all the help today. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this," he said as she finished putting the new sheet on the table.

"You're doing great. A real natural."

Dean nodded. "I have a great teacher."

Andrea felt a warmth spread through her at his words. "I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the work. See you tomorrow?"

"Definitely. My last day for a while. I'm scheduled in the dining hall for the next week. Brent is trying to move the schedule around so I can have a few more days with you, but until he figures something out, I'm stuck over there."

"No problem. If you free up, just let me know. You know where I'll be," she said as they walked out of the building together.

"Night," he called out as he headed towards the main building. She turned and walked to the parking lot.

With her workday done early, she decided to head into town to pick up a few groceries. She normally liked to hit the farmers market that happened in town on the weekends, but it had gotten rained out last weekend so she was stuck with the local grocery story instead.

The sun was setting as she parked her car in front of the store, the sky painted in shades of orange and pink. She loved this time of day, the way the world seemed to calm down and take a deep breath.

She grabbed a basket and wandered through the aisles, picking up fresh produce and some essentials she'd need for the coming days. She was in the dairy section, reaching for a carton of almond milk, when she heard familiar, unwelcome voices behind her.

"Oh my god, is that Andrea?"

Andrea turned to see Tiffany and Heather pushing strollers towards her. They each had a child clinging to their sides as well as younger babies in the strollers. Despite the years, the smirks on their faces were unchanged, even if their bodies were thicker from their obviously recent childbirths.

Their kids were beautiful. Perfect. The older children gobbled down cookies from the bakery like they were starved.

"Andrea, wow," Tiffany said, her tone dripping with mock surprise. "It's been ages."

Not really. Both women still lived in town and had married boys from their class. Tiffany was now Tiffany White. Yup, she'd married Tommy shortly after graduation, after finding out she was pregnant. Their oldest, the boy had been born a few months after graduation.

Would her and Tommy's child have looked like him?

She shook her head, pasted on a fake smile, and opened her mouth to say something pleasant, but Heather chimed in first, after looking her up and down. "Still rocking the tattoos, I see. So edgy."

Andrea's lips twitched slightly as she forced a polite smile. "Tiffany, Heather. How have you two been?"

"Oh, you know, busy with the kids and all," Tiffany replied, adjusting her stroller. "It's a lot of work, but so rewarding. You wouldn't know about that, would you?"

Heather laughed, a sharp, unpleasant sound. "Yeah, Andrea's always been the free spirit type. No time for settling down or having a family of her own. Then again, there were rumors about you dating women. Maybe you don't want a family?"

Andrea felt a pang in her chest but kept her expression neutral. "Everyone has their own path in life."

"You were always into that new age mumbo-jumbo," Heather added.

"She sure was," Tiffany said, her eyes glinting. "Don't you ever feel like you're missing out? I mean, you're still living that wild and crazy lifestyle while we're building families."

"Yeah," Heather added, "I mean, don't you ever think about the future? Like, what happens when you're old and alone?"

Andrea's grip tightened on the handle of her basket. She had thought about it—many times. She had always dreamed of having children, of creating a family of her own. But life hadn't worked out that way, and she had learned to find joy in other things.

Before Andrea could respond, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"There you are, babe. I've been looking all over for you."

Andrea turned to see Dean walking towards her, his expression calm but purposeful. He slid an arm around her shoulders and looked at Tiffany and Heather with a warm, confident smile.

"Hey," he said, "they didn't need me at work tonight so I figured we'd spend the evening together."

Tiffany and Heather's eyes widened in surprise. "The two of you are seeing each other?"

Of course they knew who Dean was. He'd been in the class above them. The one boy at school that Heather and Tiffany had always wanted to sink their teeth into and never had a chance to. At least not that she knew about.

Both of the women's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Andrea was just telling us about her…interesting lifestyle," Heather said, her tone a little less sharp now.

Dean chuckled, squeezing Andrea's shoulder gently. "Yeah, she's amazing, isn't she? I love her free spirit. It's what makes her unique. What makes our relationship so"—he glanced down at her and winked—"exciting."

Andrea felt a rush of gratitude and relief wash over her. "Thanks, babe," she said, playing along. "We should probably finish up here. This dinner won't make itself."

"Absolutely," Dean replied. "Nice seeing both of you again." He glanced at the kids. "Cute kids. Take care."

As they walked away, Andrea felt the tension drain from her body. Once they were out of earshot, she looked up at Dean with a grateful smile. "Thank you for that. You didn't have to do it, but I appreciate it."

Dean shrugged, smiling back at her. "No problem. Like I said, they didn't need me this evening. I'm just thankful I stopped off to get something to eat and saw you in trouble. Those girls needed to be put in their place. If I remember correctly, they always bullied you back in school."

"Yeah, I think it was their favorite pastime."

"I would have thought they'd grown out of it by now, seeing as they both have children of their own," he pointed out as she put a few other items into her cart.

"Well, you did a great job. I think they're going to have to pick their jaws off the floor before finishing their shopping."

Dean's expression softened. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. But for what it's worth, you're pretty incredible just the way you are. You always have been."

Andrea felt a warmth spread through her chest. "Thanks. You're pretty incredible yourself."

"Now, you mentioned something about dinner?" He smiled. "I was here to grab a frozen dinner for one." He glanced at her cart. "Your food looks so much better than what I had planned."

She laughed. "I owe you, so I'll cook us up some dinner."

"Thanks." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again. "They're still watching us," he said softly.

They finished their shopping together, chatting and laughing as they made their way through the store. They checked out and headed to their cars, and she drove back to her house with Dean following her. She struggled with the women's words as she drove. She might not have the conventional life that Tiffany and Heather valued, but she had good friends and a fulfilling job. And, perhaps most importantly, she was learning to embrace and love her unique path in life.

Besides, she had one of the sexiest men in town coming over to her place for dinner. God, she hoped she'd remembered to clean her place before she'd left that morning. Thankfully, Dean knew where she lived, so she left his truck at a red light a few blocks away from the store and sped home. She took those extra moments before he arrived to make sure everything was in place.

Just as she heard Dean's truck pull up, she threw a bra into her bedroom and shut the door.

She glanced through the window and saw him walking up her sidewalk, his silhouette outlined by the fading light of the day. Her heart did a little flip—Dean's visit was hitting her differently than all the other times he'd been over to her place.

She'd inherited the house from her grandmother after she'd passed a few years back, much to the dismay of the rest of her family. It was nestled along Deer Lake, with a stunning view of the Gulf of Mexico out the back and the lake out the front. The huge back deck overlooked the white sandy beach of the Gulf and was perfect for a relaxing evening.

She opened the door and greeted Dean with a warm smile. "Come on in. Dinner won't take me long to grill. We can enjoy the sunset out on the back deck while we wait."

Dean stepped inside, taking in the cozy, beachy decor of her small house. "This place is really incredible. The view of the Gulf is always amazing during a sunset."

"Thanks. It's my little slice of paradise. Want a beer?" she asked.

"Sure." Dean followed her into the kitchen. "Can I help?" he asked as she handed him a cold can of local 30A beer and opened one for herself.

"There's not much to do." She thought quickly. "Just keep me company while I throw everything together."

"What's on the menu?" he asked, sitting down at the small bar area to watch her.

"Grilled fish and fresh veggies," Andrea replied. She walked out to the back deck and turned on the gas grill to warm up. "I hope you're hungry."

"Starving," Dean said, leaning against the counter as she got to work seasoning the fish and wrapping the two fillets up in tinfoil with butter, herbs, and the veggies. As she worked, Andrea couldn't help but notice how at ease Dean seemed in her home. He leaned against the kitchen island and watched her with interest as she worked.

"How long have you been living here now?" he asked after taking a sip of his beer.

"A few years now, since my grandma Rosa passed. She shocked the whole family by leaving me this place. I thought about selling it, but I decided to move in after a particularly rough patch a few years back. This place helped me find peace and start fresh," she admitted. "I think that's what Rosa intended."

Dean nodded towards the dying sunlight in the distance through the large back windows. "I can see why. It's beautiful here."

They continued to talk about her grandmother and all the years she'd been alone after her grandfather had passed. Rosa had spent those lonely years traveling, taking cruises, seeing the sites of the world. There were photos of her travels throughout the house. Egypt, Rome, China, Alaska, Australia, you name it, Rosa had visited there at one point in her life.

When the fish and beans and asparagus were ready to go on the grill, she stepped outside and motioned for him to follow her. While she put the packets of food on the heat, he walked over and leaned on the railing of the deck.

"Amazing view," he said when she came over and stood next to him.

"As good as the view from the campgrounds?" she asked.

He glanced over at her, his eyes quickly running over her face. "Better." He took another drink of his beer.

The sky was a canvas of oranges, pinks, and purples as the sun dipped just below the horizon. She agreed completely. This was the best view in town. Maybe it felt that way because it was all hers.

It only took a few minutes for the food to cook, but by the time the air was filled with the scent of the food, the sky was completely dark.

"In a few weeks sunset will be an hour from now." She sighed as she walked over and removed the food from the heat. The light on her back deck was on a timer and turned on automatically. She took a moment to carefully plate the fish and vegetables.

"It will be nice to get off work and still have some daylight," he said as he sat down at the round table where she often enjoyed dinner outside.

"It's not as fancy as something Issac would make," she joked as she set the plate of food down in front of him.

"It's perfect," he told her as she sat across from him.

"Cheers," Dean said, raising his beer.

"Cheers," Andrea echoed, clinking her beer can against his.

They dug into their meal, the flavors of the grilled fish and veggies perfectly complementing the serene atmosphere.

"This is delicious," Dean said, savoring a bite. "You're a great cook."

"Thanks," Andrea said, smiling. "I love grilling out. It's therapeutic. There is just something about making food outdoors. I swear it makes everything taste better."

They ate in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the food and the fresh evening air. Dean leaned back in his chair at one point, looking relaxed and content.

"So, tell me about your old school days," Dean said, breaking the silence. "What was Andrea like back then?"

"You were there," she pointed out.

He shrugged. "I was older than you. We didn't really travel in the same circles. Remember?"

Andrea laughed softly. "Right. Well, I was always a bit of a rebel. I had my own way of doing things. Still do." She thought back. "What about you?"

Dean chuckled. "I was the class clown. Always trying to make people laugh, sometimes at the expense of my grades."

Andrea smiled. "Yeah, I remember. You've got a good sense of humor. Whenever I ran into you, you made me laugh."

They shared stories from their school days, reminiscing about old friends and teachers. Andrea talked about Tiffany and Heather and her sister, how they'd always been the mean girls, and Dean told her about his old football team and the pranks they used to pull.

"I wonder where everyone is now?" Dean said, curiously.

Andrea sighed. "Most of them settled down, started families. Some moved away. It's funny how life takes us in different directions."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "But it's good to see some familiar faces again. Like running into you at River Camps. That place has really changed my life."

"Mine too," Andrea said, her eyes reflecting the soft light of the string lights she'd hung over her deck. "It gave me a fresh start, a purpose. And now, I get to help people every day."

Dean nodded. "I feel the same way. Working there has given me a sense of fulfillment I didn't know I was missing."

They moved over to the comfortable chairs and lit the firepit to ward off the chill in the air. They continued talking as the stars grew brighter. It was nice that Dean chose to sit on the sofa chair beside her. Their knees brushed several times and her heart rate spiked.

The conversation flowed easily, from their careers to their dreams for the future. Dean mentioned how the two women in the store were poking fun at her for not yet having children, and Andrea shared her hopes of one day starting a family.

"You'd make a great mom," Dean said sincerely. "You're strong, compassionate, and you've got a lot of love to give."

Andrea smiled, her eyes glistening. "Thanks. That means a lot."

The night air was cool and refreshing. The sound of the water gently lapping at the shore mixed with the crackling of the firepit, providing a soothing background to their conversation.

"Tonight's been really nice," she said, leaning back in her chair. She was on her third beer and he was nursing his second.

"Yeah, it has," Dean replied, and a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the temperature. "Thanks for inviting me over."

Andrea looked up at the stars, silently wishing the night wouldn't end. "Any time."

"Andrea?" he said, breaking the short silence.

"Hm?" She glanced over at him.

"Would it be strange if I kissed you?" His eyes met hers.

She thought about it for all of two seconds before leaning over and brushing her lips softly against his.

"There, now there's nothing strange about it." She smiled.

His hands moved up slowly and he cupped her face. "Good," he said, and kissed her again.