Can't Fight The Moonlight (Whisper Lake Book 3)

by Barbara Freethy

  "I hope she had a good time, too. She's always so busy when we come to stay at the inn, running around like a madwoman. She actually reminds me a little of you sometimes."

  "I do not run around like a madwoman," he said lightly.

  She grinned. "No, but you do work too much."

  "I love working. It's what I do."

  "It is what you do, but you're more than a job, Justin."

  "It doesn't feel that way. I'm the company and the company is me. Eric is, of course, in there, too."

  "But you're the driving force. I just want more for you, Justin." She paused on the sidewalk. "I know it's important for you to be successful, to have control over your life, to never have to worry where your next meal is coming from, but there is more to life than money."

  "It's not just about money. I'm building a company that improves lives. That's what drives me."

  "I do understand that. I just see the years flying by. You're thirty-two, almost thirty-three. You haven't introduced me to anyone in years. You never seem to have time for relationships. Do you really want to be alone?"

  "I'm very comfortable being alone," he said, meeting her gaze. "You should know that."

  "What I know is that having a partner, someone by your side, is what life is about. You can have all the success in the world, but if you don't have someone to share it with, then that success came with too big of a cost. When you're old like me, you'll appreciate the people in your life far more than anything else."

  "Is that why you set me up with Lizzie?" he asked, enjoying the guilt that flashed through her eyes.

  "Well, I worry about her, too. She also works too much. But she does make time for fun, and I think you should, too."

  "I have fun, Grandma, but Lizzie is a small-town girl, and I am not a small-town guy."

  "Oh, you can live anywhere. Isn't that what you always tell me? That technology makes the world a very small place?"

  He frowned as she threw his words back in his face. "Still, it's not happening."

  "That's too bad. I was hoping you would hit it off with her."

  "She's great, but I'm leaving on Sunday."

  "I know, and I wouldn't want you to hurt her, so maybe it's best you don't start anything. In fact, you're absolutely right. You and Lizzie would never work, but I hope you had a good time this morning anyway."

  "I did have a good time, and I do like her, but she loves her work as much as I love mine."

  "I understand. I just want you to be happy, Justin."

  "I want you to be happy, too. That's why I'm here."

  She gazed up at him, her expression serious and a bit conflicted. "I wish everyone could be here. Don't you sometimes wish that, too?"

  "No. I stopped wishing for that a long time ago. You should give up on that dream, Grandma; it's not happening."

  "Okay. Come on, let's go find something unusual and unique," she said, slipping her arm through his. "Maybe we'll find something for your apartment, too."

  "I doubt it. My décor is modern."

  "Well, you never know. Sometimes you find the perfect thing when you least expect it. You just have to open your eyes, so you don't miss it."

  Chapter Twelve

  Lizzie spent most of Thursday afternoon trying not to think about Justin. Fortunately, he'd gone antiques shopping with his grandmother, so he hadn't been around the inn to distract her, but he'd still come into her head. And now as she drove to her sister's house to meet up before the art and wine festival, she was back to thinking about him. She kept wondering why she was trying so hard to keep him at arm's length, when spending time in his arms was hot and exciting and pretty damned wonderful. She'd never thought she was a fling kind of girl, but when she was with Justin, she definitely wanted to be flung.

  She smiled to herself at that crazy thought. Maybe she should stop fighting and just say yes. Maybe she should take what he had to offer now and forget about the future. If she ended up missing him later, would that be any worse than wondering if she'd missed out on something great?

  She was no closer to an answer when she parked in Chelsea's driveway. It was good she was meeting the girls and going to the festival with them. She could have fun with her friends and forget about Justin, at least for a little while. She had a feeling he'd probably show up at the festival with his grandparents, but if he did, at least they'd have chaperones around them. Maybe that would keep the wild feelings at bay, although she doubted it.

  Getting out of the car, she walked up to Chelsea's front door and rang the bell. Checking her watch, she saw she was five minutes early. Not bad considering how many small tasks she'd tried to accomplish before leaving the inn. Since Chelsea lived the closest to the art and wine festival, they'd all decided to meet here and then walk into town together.

  A moment later, Chelsea threw open the door with a smile. She wore a flowing dress set off by a pair of heeled sandals, always managing to pull off a bohemian, free-spirited look. Lizzie wished she'd found something a bit more stylish to wear than her white jeans and teal-colored tank top. But she should really just be happy she'd made it at all.

  "Hi, Lizzie," Chelsea said, giving her a hug. "I'm glad you came. I thought you might not be able to get away from the inn."

  "I'm here. Shay is manning the desk tonight."

  "How was her trip to Denver to meet her future in-laws?" Chelsea asked, waving her into the house.

  "It was good. They liked her."

  "Why wouldn't they? She's very likeable."

  "Is Brodie coming with us?" she asked, seeing no sign of her sister's fiancé.

  "No. He got called in to work. It will be just the girls. Chloe and Kevin are spending the evening celebrating his parents' wedding anniversary and neither Hannah nor Keira are bringing dates."

  "That's fine. We haven't gotten together just the girls in a while. What about Gianna?"

  "She said they were going to skip the festival and just barbecue at home."

  "She and Zach and Hailey are a little family now," she said, as she followed Chelsea into the living room. She sat down on the couch while Chelsea took the chair across from her.

  "It's sweet," Chelsea said. "They're very happy together. I'm sure it isn't easy being a stepmom, but Gianna seems to get along great with Hailey."

  "Everyone is coupling up. First Gianna, then you."

  "Maybe you'll be next, Lizzie."

  She uttered a short, doubtful laugh. "I don't think so. I'm already in a very demanding relationship with a hundred-year-old inn. And, yes, it does keep me warm at night and make me happy."

  Chelsea gave her a mischievous smile. "It doesn't do everything you need."

  She grinned. "It does enough."

  "Seriously, Lizzie, you need to get out and date, kiss someone."

  She flushed at that comment.

  Chelsea's gaze narrowed. "Wait a second. I've seen this look before. You have kissed someone. Who?"

  "I don't want to talk about it."

  "You have to tell me. I'm your sister. We share everything."

  "You didn't tell me when you first kissed Brodie," she pointed out.

  "Well, I told you pretty soon after the first time. Come on. Who was it?"

  "It was an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment thing."

  "With…" Chelsea's gaze grew speculative. "Wait a second. I think I can guess. It was Justin Blackwood. You two walked home together after Adam's party. Did you kiss him then?"

  "We might have had a kiss at the lake," she conceded.

  "The lake? You took a detour on the way back to the inn."

  "Justin hadn't really seen it yet."

  "Sounds like he was looking at you and not the lake," Chelsea teased. "How was it?"

  "Really great," she admitted. "Probably because the kiss made me feel reckless and sexy, and I haven't been either of those things in a while."

  "Well, good for you. What happened after that?"

  "Nothing. We walked back to the inn and decided we would not kiss again
."

  "That's disappointing."

  "It's not, Chelsea," she said. "Justin is a guest. He's leaving on Sunday. Starting something with him would be stupid."

  "Or fun."

  "Now you sound like Justin. And believe me, I'm tempted. I'm just afraid I'll like him too much. I'm not very good at casual. I know that about myself."

  Chelsea nodded. "Then you're being smart. You should trust yourself. Don't listen to me. What do I know? I've made a lot of mistakes in my life."

  "But you're on the right track now. You have a great guy in Brodie. And you have your music back."

  "It's sometimes difficult to believe now that I gave it up for as long as I did. I was really in a bad place." Chelsea paused. "But you were there for me, and you were very patient."

  "You're my big sister. And you've always been there for me, too."

  "Maybe not so much the last two years."

  She waved off her apology. "We're not keeping score. Sometimes you're up and I'm down and vice versa. It all evens out."

  "You're right. I am a little worried about you, Lizzie. And I'm not just talking about dating. You look stressed every time I see you. Are there problems at the inn that you're not sharing?"

  She debated how to answer that question. Chelsea was one of her investors, and she deserved the truth. "There have been some financial setbacks that I wasn't expecting. It's an old building and everything seems to be breaking at once. Our bookings are up and down. Some months have been better than others. The winter was good, but now we're in between snow and hot days and there aren't as many tourists in town."

  "There's a lot this week. Everyone wants to see the eclipse."

  "Which is great for me. I have a full house and I'm thrilled. But next week doesn't look so good."

  "Can I do anything to help?"

  "No. I'm going to figure it out."

  Chelsea met her gaze with an encouraging smile. "You always do. I have no doubt that you'll make the inn a success. But if you do need some cash…"

  "No. You've given me enough. Plus, you're building your studio and planning your wedding. Don't worry about this."

  "I can still help."

  "I will let you know if I need you."

  Chelsea gave her a doubtful look. "You never like to need anyone. You've always been stubbornly independent."

  "I think that runs in our family."

  The bell rang, and Chelsea jumped to her feet. Lizzie stood up, following her to the door.

  Hannah and Keira came in together, a contrast in color and style. Hannah with her red hair and pale skin wore skinny jeans and a falling-off-the shoulder peasant blouse. Keira was dressed in a red and white sheath dress, her dark hair swept back in a messy but stylish ponytail.

  She hugged each of them, but Keira's embrace was a little stiff.

  "Are you still pissed at me?" Keira asked, her brown gaze worried.

  "Why would she be angry with you?" Chelsea asked before Lizzie could respond.

  "Yeah, what did you do?" Hannah put in.

  "I'm not angry, and she didn't do anything," she said.

  "She must have done something," Hannah said.

  Judging by the curiosity on both Hannah and Chelsea's faces, she didn't think either one was going to let her get away with that vague response. "Keira brought an opportunity to me," she said. "To sell the inn."

  "What?" Chelsea exclaimed in surprise. "You want to sell?"

  "She doesn't," Keira said quickly. "But someone I knew came to me and wanted an introduction and I thought Lizzie might want to hear her out. But I should have given her a heads-up, and I didn't. That's why she's mad at me."

  "I'm not angry, but you should have told me, Keira. The reason you didn't find the time was because you knew I'd say no, right?"

  "Maybe that was part of it," Keira conceded. "If it helps, I did tell Paula to back off and let you come to her if you were interested. I said you wouldn't respond well to pressure."

  "That's fine, but I'm perfectly capable of saying no if she does reach out."

  "You can't sell the inn," Hannah said, giving her a confused look. "It's your dream job."

  "I don't want to sell it, and hopefully it won't come to that."

  "It won't come to that," Chelsea said. "I will help you keep it."

  "So will I," Hannah said. "I don't have a lot, but I can invest if that will help."

  "Me, too," Keira said.

  She sighed, hating that everyone was looking at her like she was in trouble. Maybe she was, but she didn't want the whole world to know that. "Look, it's all fine. It's good for me to have options. But right now, nothing has changed, and we don't need to talk about this anymore. What's going on with everyone else? Someone must have something fun to share."

  "Well, I do have a little news," Keira said slowly, her gaze moving to Chelsea. "Should I tell them?"

  Lizzie looked over at her sister, who had a gleam in her eyes. "What are you two up to?"

  "I asked Keira to design my wedding dress," Chelsea said.

  "What? Wow, that's amazing," she said.

  "You haven't sketched in years, have you?" Hannah asked Keira.

  "No, I haven't, not until lately. I ran across my old sketchbook a couple of months ago, and I found myself going through it. When I left New York and my job in fashion to take care of my mom and run her real-estate business, I didn't think I would ever get back to designing. But I've missed it. Chelsea came by one day and saw some of my sketches, and we started talking, and she had the crazy idea that I should design her wedding dress. But she still has the right to say no if she wants to buy something else."

  "I already love the first couple of sketches you showed me," Chelsea put in. "You really understand my style and my vibe, and that's important. I'm counting on you."

  "I hope I don't let you down," Keira said. "I did pull out my sewing machine the other day, and I'm going to make some patterns and run everything by you before we go any further."

  "What about our bridesmaids' dresses?" Hannah asked. "Are you designing those, too?"

  "I don't know if I'll have time," Keira said with a nervous laugh.

  "I want her to," Chelsea said. "But she wants to do the wedding dress first and then we'll see."

  "This is great," Hannah declared. "I always felt bad that you had to give up on being a fashion designer."

  "Designing this dress isn't going to change my career path. I still have the real-estate company to run, and it's important that it continue to be successful."

  "Maybe you can have a side business," Hannah suggested.

  "We'll see. So, are we waiting for anyone else?" Keira asked.

  "No, it's just us," Chelsea said. "Let's go."

  As they left the house, Chelsea and Hannah took the lead while Lizzie and Keira walked behind them. "I'm excited for you," Lizzie said. "I can't wait to see your sketches."

  "I'm pretty rusty. There's a good chance Chelsea will want to find another designer, and I'm sure there are tons of really good designers who would want to dress her. She's a celebrity."

  "Sometimes I forget that."

  "That's easy, because she's down to earth." Keira paused. "Lizzie—"

  "Don't apologize again," she warned.

  "All right. I just hate when I mess up."

  "So do I," she said, relating to that feeling. "But you didn't mess up. You were looking out for me. That's what we do as friends."

  "Speaking of looking out for each other—I'm worried about Chloe. I was talking to a friend of mine who works at Hogan's Bar, and she said that Kevin has been hanging out there late at night, all by himself. Well, actually, he's not always by himself."

  She frowned at that piece of news, which seemed to back up Chloe's fear that Kevin was having an affair. "Do you know who he's been hanging out with?"

  "Not any particular woman, from what I understand, but he's apparently very friendly." Keira paused. "Since I've already made one blunder this week, what do you think? Should I tell Chloe?"


  "I don't know."

  "I'm leaning toward keeping quiet. I mean, Chloe must know he's somewhere when he's not at home. And I don't want to cause them trouble. On the other hand, it feels like I should try to protect her."

  "It's a tough call," she admitted, feeling torn herself. "Maybe we should go to the bar one night and see what's going on."

  "That's not a bad idea. If Kevin sees us, maybe he'll come clean to Chloe so that we don't have to."

  "That would be a better scenario."

  "I can't believe he's acting like such a jerk," Keira continued. "All these years she waited for him to come back, and he always said how much he missed her, and now they're at odds, and they have a new baby. How is this happening?"

  "I wish I knew."

  "Chloe has been holding down the home fort for a long time. When does she get a break? When is it her turn?" Keira demanded. "Maybe I should tell her what Kevin is doing. I hate that she's being taken advantage of."

  She smiled. Keira was always fiercely protective of people. She was the kind of friend who would always have your back, and the lingering resentment she'd had toward her bringing Paula's proposal to her disappeared. Keira hadn't been trying to hurt her, but to help her. She was just being too sensitive.

  "What do you think, Lizzie?" Keira continued.

  She focused back on Chloe. "Well, we can't do anything tonight. They're having dinner with Kevin's parents, who are celebrating their anniversary."

  "Hopefully, he spends the entire night at home with his parents and his wife and his child."

  "Hopefully," she echoed, as the art and wine fair came into view.

  Wicker Avenue had been closed down to traffic, and a dozen or more tents had been set up along several blocks, offering wine, art, and appetizers. There was quite a large crowd filling the street, and she hoped all of the guests at the inn were here. She'd made a point of encouraging everyone to attend. She wanted them to not only fall in love with her inn but also with Whisper Lake, so they would continue to come back as often as possible.

  They stopped at the first booth to grab plastic glasses of wine and then meandered through the art in the booth next door. As she paused to study a landscape of the lake, Hannah moved up next to her.