Chapter 59

Matt collected his T-shirt and sport sandals from his pickup then climbed back into the passenger seat of Summer's classy little blue sedan. He didn't really care how they spent the day, as long as she let him spend it with her. Sooner or later, he had to believe she'd let down the walls she'd built and remember how good they were together.
Of course he also enjoyed the idea of shopping with her to furnish his house. After all, if he had his way, she'd be living there soon herself. She might as well like whatever he bought. Besides, it would be good to see how their tastes coincided.
The long, narrow island just off the coast had a Victorian downtown at the far end, giving it a small-town feel even though it was only thirty minutes or so from Charleston. Matt had looked at houses out here, but they were beyond his price range. One thing that hadn't occurred to him was the differences in how he and Summer had been reared. She'd always been wealthy, never done without. Matt had learned to be frugal from the time he could walk. He hoped that wasn't going to be a problem.
"I want to stop at the toy store too, and pick up something for Dawn." Once they found a parking spot in front of the gaily painted shops on Main Street, she parked and hopped out of the car before he could come around and open the door. "It's a great place if you want to send anything home to your niece and nephew sometime. An old-fashioned toy store with cool, sometimes handmade things, not just the plastic junk you find at every other shop in the country."
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his shorts to keep from trying to take her hand and shrugged. "Lead on."
"A guy who puts up with a shopping trip. You're winning points, Warren," she teased, flitting up the steps to a bright green storefront. The window display was kites, and Matt began to see the appeal. Tommy would love one of those. Heck, he might have to buy one for himself. Now that he had a nine-to-five job, he was going to have to come up with some hobbies. Free time wasn't something he was used to. Of course, one glance over at Summer and he had a whole bunch of ideas on how to spend those extra hours.
"I'll need a bed," he blurted out then winced as she raised one delicately arched eyebrow. Hurriedly he added, ticking items off on his fingers. "A kitchen table and chairs, a couch, a couple of dressers, maybe a bookshelf. That should get me started. My TV and stereo are being shipped with my clothes and stuff, but the furniture at my last place wasn't worth saving."
"Well, you won't want to buy a mattress at an antiques store." The teasing glint was back in her eyes. "I can point you at some places in Charleston for that. But we might find you a table and chairs."
Inside the toy store, Matt found himself staring around like a little kid. So much bright, colorful fun. Not something that had been a big part of his life in the last eighteen years. Even college had been regimented, since he'd gone on an ROTC scholarship. He immediately gravitated to the kites while Summer scurried over to a display of infant toys. The beach in front of Summer's vacation house would be a great place to fly one of these beauties.
"Very relaxing." Matt looked up to see an elderly gentleman had joined him. "Better than yoga or meditation, to my way of thinking. Which one were you looking at?"
"The dragon." Matt immediately pointed to an elaborately painted kite that wasn't the most complex design but somehow called to him. "He looks like he should be flying." Until this moment, Matt hadn't realized how much he missed being up in the air. Between his injuries, and the fact his vision was no longer twenty-twenty, he'd have been grounded, even if he hadn't been discharged.
"There are many ways to fly," the older man said. He lovingly lifted down the dragon kite and handed it to Matt. "Some of them more satisfying than others."
"I'll take this one." The clearly handmade dragon kite felt right in his hands. "And I need a couple for kids - a ten-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl." There was plenty of wind in Texas for his niece and nephew to get a kick out of the kites.
"The pink butterfly is good for a small child."
Matt studied a small, simple kite painted with a glittery butterfly. Annie would love it. He glanced up and pointed to a colorful box kite. "And that one?"
The older man nodded. "You have a good eye. I have boxed versions of those two, for easier shipping. The dragon is one of a kind, but I'll wrap it before you leave." He lifted the kite from Matt's hand and slipped away.
How could the old man know he intended to ship the two smaller kites? He'd ambled off behind the counter before Matt could ask. Ah well, as a dream walker, he couldn't really point a finger at someone else's psychic abilities. Instead, he moved over to where Summer was playing with a wooden duck pull toy.
"At just three months, I suspect she'd just gum it rather than pulling." It seemed the most natural thing in the world to slip up behind her and slide his arm around her waist. "Wouldn't one of the plushies be a better idea?"
"Probably. But the duck has such a cute face." She looked up at him. "You're close to your niece and nephew, aren't you, even though you weren't in the country much since they were born?"
"My sister and I can dream talk, so can my mother. I got updates whenever one of them happened to be asleep at the same time I was."
"I'll bet they were terrified when you were hurt." She put down the duck and reached for a soft, stuffed bunny.
"Pretty much. My mom flew to Germany for a while once I was moved there." He picked up a pink terrycloth teddy bear and wiggled it.
"So why aren't you staying in Texas with them?" Summer quit pretending to study the toys and gazed up at him with a guarded look in her beautiful eyes.
"I think you know the answer to that." He popped the soft nose of the teddy bear onto hers, miming a kiss. "My family is important to me, but they're only a short plane ride or a couple days' drive away. And there's nothing for me to do in Morgan's Creek, anyway. Charleston is where I want to be."
"I'll take the bear." She gave him a smile that he thought was full of hope. "And the duck. She'll grow into it."
Matt laughed. "Good call. Now come over here and pick out a kite. I don't want to be down on the beach goofing off by myself."