THE BRISK EVENING air whipped through Leanna’s hair as they drove toward Provincetown with the top down. They’d stopped by her cottage to pick up clothes for the evening, and Leanna stored the new batch of jam in the room off the kitchen. Now she and Kurt were on a mission to find the perfect gift for his eldest brother, Jack, and his fiancée, Savannah, who were getting married at the end of the month. Pepper sat at her feet with his head on her lap, happy as could be. She couldn’t believe Kurt had accepted Pepper into the fold of their relationship, but he had insisted that leaving Pepper at home would just make the pup feel bad and that dogs who felt lonely tended to act out. How did he know? She imagined that, as with the stain, he’d Googled it. She imagined him researching how to properly care for a misbehaved, needy dog. The thought brought a smile to her lips.
As they passed Pilgrim’s Lake on the right, nestled between mountainous dunes and rows of beachside cottages on the left, Leanna felt as though she was moving forward, and surprisingly, felt more fulfilled. At the same time, what she’d been doing with her life had hardly changed—except for the addition of Kurt.
Kurt reached for her hand. “You’re quiet. You okay?”
“Better than okay.” She watched the edges of his lips curve up and wondered if he was thinking about their intimacy on the deck. She had never before even attempted to be a seductress. A seductress? She was more like Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy. She didn’t know what she had been thinking, except that she wanted Kurt so badly that she couldn’t get enough. She wanted to be closer, to taste him, to knock him off balance and see him with all defenses down, and she’d knocked herself off balance. She thought of the way he’d caught her on the deck and how he brought out the confidence that she exuded in every aspect of her life except relationships. He helped her bring that confidence to their relationship in the most loving and tender ways, but there had been a moment in their passion when she saw everything else in his eyes fall away. And in the space of a breath she could tell that he wasn’t thinking either. He’d dropped all his defenses. He was touching, kissing, moving, driven by the sizzling connection between them, just as she had been.
“Nervous about tomorrow’s meeting?” He turned off the main highway and followed the road into Provincetown to the parking lot by the pier.
“Not really. I will be when the time comes, though.”
“I envy your ability to be so relaxed about things.” He parked and put the top up, then came around and opened the door for her. Pepper ran around his feet, tangling the leash as if he were a tree. He looked down at him and shook his head.
“Sit.”
Pepper plopped down on his butt and whined while Kurt untangled the leash. “Aren’t these meetings huge for your business? I mean, they must be the equivalent of my signing with a publisher for my books, right?”
“I guess. Yeah, probably about the same.”
A gust of wind swept through the parking lot and followed them toward one of the busiest streets on the Cape, Commercial Street. Commercial Street was lined with colorful stores, artists, restaurants, and all types of musicians. Provincetown was an arts community with a year-round population of around three thousand, but in the summer it was the vacation destination of gay men and lesbians, as well as tourists from all over the world, bringing tens of thousands into the small town. The streets held the aroma of salty sea air, baked goods, and patchouli. It was an assault of the senses, an explosion of colorful people, artistic efforts, and one-of-a-kind experiences—and one of Leanna’s favorite places on earth.
A young man playing a guitar sat on the ground outside a restaurant, and they stopped to listen for a few minutes. Kurt threw a few bucks into the guitar case before they continued on their way, passing families with children, men and women of varying nationalities, cross-dressers, transvestites, and a wide variety of leashed dogs. A man whose entire body, including his clothing, was painted silver stood on a crate, still as a statue. Nearby, a tall, thin man with long brown hair sang in front of the Town Hall, dressed in a green minidress and spiked heels, surrounded by onlookers, who applauded and tossed money into a box on the ground. The diversity of Provincetown was just one of the reasons Leanna loved the area. The widespread acceptance seemed to go hand in hand with interesting, creative shops and people.
“There’s something about P-town that makes me happy.” She smiled up at Kurt.
“There’s something about P-town that makes everyone happy. That’s the best thing about this place. Everyone fits in.” He kissed her temple.
Another surprise. She’d wondered if he was comfortable with the crowds and diversity. Now she knew. And she added his appreciation of Provincetown to her mental Like List, which was getting pretty darn long.
At the main intersection, they walked past a gray-haired, paunchy policeman who made traffic direction an art form. He swayed his hips to silent music, bowed as cars passed, and blew his whistle at the throngs of onlookers. Throughout the years, Leanna had danced with that policeman, and now she had an urge to run into the street and do it again.
“I love that guy,” Kurt said as they walked past.
Leanna threw caution to the wind and let go of Kurt’s hand. “Be right back.” She kissed his cheek and ran into the road. If he was going to like her for her, he had to know the real her. And she wouldn’t be Leanna if she didn’t mimic the policeman’s moves and dance with him.
Hands on hips, the policeman blew his whistle at her. She mimicked his actions with a smirk and an oh-yes-I-am shake of her head. He turned his attention back to the line of cars waiting to pass, and as he waved them by, so did she. She had seen many people join him in the street throughout the years, and though he kept a stern face, he always bowed in appreciation when they parted. When he spun in a circle, motioning for the cars to cross the intersection, she was right behind him doing the same thing, and caught sight of Kurt holding his phone up and snapping a picture with a wide smile that reached his eyes.
He wasn’t embarrassed.
He wasn’t acting like he didn’t know her.
He definitely likes me.
Kurt crouched down beside Pepper, one arm protectively around the dog’s shoulder as he pointed to Leanna and said something she couldn’t hear. It wouldn’t matter what he said. Just seeing him embrace Pepper tugged at her heart.
She mimed a thank-you to the policeman, who bowed and made a rolling motion with his hand; then she rejoined Kurt.
“Now, that was priceless. If your Sweet Treats falls through, you could definitely go into the dancing traffic directing business.” He pulled her close and kissed her.
“Sorry. He’s been there since I was little, and I always used to dance with him. I had to do it.” She wiggled and tugged at her T-shirt and cutoffs, adjusting them so they weren’t askew from her walk on the wild side.
They walked hand in hand, weaving in and out of the crowd with Pepper in tow. They browsed a leather shop—where Kurt joked about buying matching leather chaps for Jack and Savannah. They meandered through two art galleries, a kitchen shop, and they came out empty-handed from each.
They stopped at Shop Therapy, a hippie clothing store downstairs and adult toy store upstairs. Dresses and tie-dyed tops hung in the front windows. A basket of sage incense blocked part of the entrance. The shop smelled like marijuana, which the employees claimed was the sage incense they burned. Leanna had her doubts.
Kurt led her to the stairs in the back of the shop with a hint of mischief in his gorgeous eyes.