The Carpenter's Bride

by Elana Johnson

  He thought through what he wanted, and Sierra let him have the time he needed. “I think I’d like to go out with her a few times first,” he said slowly. “See how things are going between us. I think she could meet you once I feel good about it.” He looked at Sierra. “Sound good?”

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “You know you’re the most important person in my life, right?” he asked, needing her to know this.

  She rolled her eyes. “I know, Dad.”

  “Seriously, Sea,” he said, putting his hand on her arm. “I don’t—I haven’t—I love your mother.”

  Sierra sobered and simply looked at him. “I know that, Dad. I also know she wanted you to move on and meet someone new.”

  “She did.” Didn’t mean a new relationship would be easy. “She can’t be replaced.”

  “No.” Sierra shook her head, her dark hair swinging with the motion. “She can’t.”

  Cal slid his arm around his daughter. “I miss her, too.”

  Sierra leaned her head against Cal’s chest and they just breathed together. Then she said, “And if you need help with your date, let me know.”

  “Do I need help?” he asked.

  Sierra straightened and he dropped his arm. She surveyed him, and Cal didn’t like the calculating glint in her eye. “No jeans with paint stains on them,” she said. “And you need a haircut.”

  “Well, get out the scissors, nugget,” he said. He rolled his eyes. “I am who I am. And she’s seen me with this hair.”

  “But when you go out with her, you want to look better,” Sierra said. “Then she’ll know you made an effort—for her.”

  “Is that what she wants?” Cal asked, because he honestly had no idea.

  “Yes, Dad,” his daughter said. “That’s what she wants.” She smiled and shook her head. “If you need any dating advice, just come see me.”

  Horror struck Cal right behind his lungs. Dating advice. From his fourteen-year-old daughter. “I don’t even want to know what you know,” he said, and he wasn’t kidding though Sierra burst out laughing.

  He was just going to be himself, and if that wasn’t good enough for Lisa Ashford…. Well, then they weren’t meant to be.

  But he supposed he could get a haircut and at least look like he’d made an effort to look nice for her.

  Chapter Seven

  Lisa honestly could get used to staying at the Sweet Breeze Resort. Everything from the décor to the people who worked there made her feel comfortable, and she’d been able to ignore her nerves over this first real date with Cal—until now.

  Until he’d texted that he was just parking and would be up to the eleventh floor soon. She’d offered to meet him in the lobby, but there wasn’t much of one of those. The third floor then, she’d said.

  But he’d refused, saying a gentleman always came to the door to pick up his date.

  Lisa stood in front of the mirror in the hotel bathroom, double-checking her earrings, then her lip gloss, then her shoes.

  She loved heels, but Cal had seen her with blood dripping from her foot just a couple of days ago. She didn’t need to impress him with her footwear. Nor could she really wear heels at the moment, because of that nasty nail she’d stepped on.

  The island of Getaway Bay seemed to be getting itself back together. Lisa could’ve stayed at Riley’s house, which was up high enough to have avoided any water damage. But the house was somewhat remote, and Lisa felt like being around people on the island.

  She loved watching the news at night, something delectable from one of the operational restaurants on a tray in front of her, as they chronicled the groups that had come together to help each other get back on their feet. Churches, schools, businesses, and friends had banded together to make sure everyone had help.

  Her mother’s neighbors had taken her in, and Lisa thought about texting her, just to tell her about Cal. Just as quickly as that thought had come, Lisa dismissed it. Her mother had turned into a bit of a male-hater since her husband had left her after almost forty years of marriage.

  Lisa couldn’t really blame her, but that didn’t mean she wanted to listen to her mother’s lecture about the demerits all men possessed. She had some hope left for herself, and her heart shot out an extra beat.

  “Where is he?” she murmured to Suzy, who raised her head off the pillow on the bed. The dog said nothing and flopped back down, already asleep again. Lisa reminded herself that the hotel was operating on half the number of elevators since the tsunami. They had a narrow walkway roped off on the first floor that led from the bank of elevators to the parking garage while they worked on repairs, and there could very well be a line to get upstairs.

  She wandered over to the window and gazed down on the beach below. The sand was crowded, and it seemed like there was no evidence of the tsunami’s force at all. Of course, Fisher DuPont, owner of Sweet Breeze, had probably made sure the beach clean-up was top priority. Lisa would’ve done the same thing, had she owned this place. In fact, Hope had started working with a private company like Cal’s to clean up the beaches they regularly used for their weddings.

  A few minutes later, a loud knock made her gasp and spin toward the door. Suzy barked, and Lisa shushed her. “It’s Cal, silly.”

  She strode across the room and whipped open the door to find Cal standing there, his brown hair sculpted just-so. She had the sudden urge to run her fingers along his jawline, just to feel the full beard he wore there. The hair on his face was a couple of shades darker than on his head, and it was oh-so-sexy.

  “Hey,” he said, clearly out of breath. “Sorry I’m a bit late.”

  “You’re fine.” She honestly had no idea what time it even was. Or where he was taking her.

  “The line for the elevators was really long.” He reached for her hand. “Are you ready? Need a purse or anything?”

  Lisa held up one finger and dashed back to the cabinet that housed the TV. She picked up her card holder and put it in her pocket, glad she’d chosen to wear this black jumpsuit, precisely because it did have pockets.

  “Ready,” she said, moving back toward him. He’d come into the room a little bit, his right foot holding the spring-loaded door open.

  “You’re…beautiful,” he said, his eyes scanning her body and rebounding back to her face. “Simply stunning.”

  “Stunning?” She grinned at him, pure satisfaction moving through her. She had worked hard on her makeup, contouring her face just right. Her silver earrings dripped into teardrop shapes, and she’d even gone for a manicure today. And any day spent at the salon was a good day.

  “I haven’t had anyone call me stunning in a while,” she said, tripping her fingertips up the front of his shirt to his collar. “Or maybe ever.” Her eyes met his, and it seemed like a moment where a man might kiss her.

  But Cal didn’t, and Lisa realized in that single breath of time that he was unlike any other man she’d ever dated before. Because any of them would’ve kissed her then.

  And Cal didn’t.

  At the same time, she knew it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. It was because he respected her more than any other man she’d been out with.

  “It’s true,” he said, his voice hoarse.

  “Well, I love this shirt,” she said, focusing on the navy blue button-up. “What are those?”

  “Sierra told me I had to wear it,” he said, sliding one arm around Lisa’s waist. Oh, she liked the way he’d claimed her, the way tingling sparks shot up her spine. “They’re actually sailboats.” He looked down at his shirt too. “I feel ridiculous.”

  He started laughing, and that made happiness explode through Lisa. She joined him, tucking her hand into his and stepping with him as they moved into the hall. “What would you normally wear?” she asked. “If you didn’t have your daughter dressing you.”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Probably just a T-shirt. Something comfortable.”

  “That shirt isn’t comfortable?” Because it looked l
ike it had been tailored just for him.

  “It’s fine,” he said. “I probably should’ve asked you where you wanted to eat. I thought Indian House might be good.”

  “Oh, I love Indian House,” she said. “And we did the wedding for Zara, the woman who married the prince?”

  “Oh,” Cal said, and he clearly didn’t keep up with the social happenings on the island.

  “Her family owns Indian House,” Lisa said to clarify. “They have delicious food.”

  “It’s one of my favorite places on the whole island.” Cal grinned at her. “Want to brave waiting for the elevator? Or should we take the stairs?”

  She couldn’t believe he’d climbed eleven flights of stairs just to see her, and warmth filled her body. “Let’s be brave,” she said, reaching to push the down button.

  “How’s the house drying?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t have one of those fancy moisture things.” Flirting with him was fun and came naturally to her.

  He chuckled. “I’ll come see on Monday. We’ll have demo done on the rest of the houses tomorrow, and then the rebuilding begins.”

  “How long until I’m out of here?” she asked, surprised when the elevator dinged and the white light on the wall lit up. “And look. We only had to wait a few seconds.”

  “A miracle,” he said, gazing at her with a heated edge in those dark blue eyes. They stepped onto the elevator, and he said, “You should be able to move back into your place by the end of the week. I don’t think it’ll take that long to get the supplies and get them in. In fact, once we get the flooring, it’ll only take a day to get it laid.”

  “Perfect,” she said. Sweet Breeze had offered deep discounts or completely free rooms for those displaced by the tsunami, and Lisa did like the room service. But Suzy hated being cooped up in the hotel room, and Lisa could admit that she did too. Both of them much preferred the small lawn that had palm trees bordering the fence in the back.

  “I’ve almost got my yard cleaned up,” she said.

  “That’s great,” he said. “I haven’t had time to come help.” He cut a glance at her, and Lisa smiled at him and grabbed onto his hand with both of hers.

  “It’s okay, Cal. I can rake and pick up branches and fronds.”

  “I know you can. I’ve seen you with a hammer.” He grinned at her, and Lisa felt like the luckiest woman in the world. How had she overlooked this gem of a man for so long?

  “Will there be dancing tonight?” she asked.

  “Not at Indian House,” he said, stepping off the elevator and taking her with him. They squeezed past the long line of people waiting to go up, walking between a sheet of plastic on one side and a set of ropes to contain a crowd on the other.

  Heat hit her as she walked into the parking garage, and Cal handed his ticket to Sterling. The valet glanced at it and then Lisa, and said, “Coming up, sir.”

  Cal drove a big, rumbly truck, and Lisa felt like a celebrity as he helped her up onto the seat. Wearing this jumpsuit always made her feel like she stood out, though, and she gathered her hair together and combed her fingers through the curls as Cal rounded the front of the truck.

  “What’s your favorite food?” she asked as he started the drive to Indian House.

  “Ever? Out of anything?”

  “Yes, that’s what a favorite is,” she teased.

  He glanced at her again, a nervous energy pouring off of him now. “My wife used to make the most amazing key lime pie,” he said. “I’d eat that for every meal if I could.”

  “Mm, key lime pie,” Lisa said, though her mouth puckered as if she’d taken a bite of the sour dessert right then. But Cal had been married before—for a long time—and she couldn’t expect him to never mention his wife.

  “How did Jo die?” she asked next.

  Cal cleared his throat. “Uterine cancer. We were very lucky to get Sierra at all.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Lisa said.

  “We knew for a long time before she died,” Cal said. “And we got many more months with her than they said we would.”

  “Still sucks.”

  Cal gave a burst of a laugh. “Yes, it does.” He turned and started up toward the restaurant. "What about you, Lisa? Serious relationships I should know about?”

  “Oh, no,” she said in mock seriousness. “I’ve dated a lot of men, but I wouldn’t say any of them were very serious.”

  “No serious relationships?” he asked, as if he didn’t believe her.

  “I mean, I dated a guy for eight months once. I think that was the longest relationship I’ve had. I guess it was serious.”

  “You guess?”

  “Well, I never got a diamond,” she said. “We sort of just…hung out.” She thought of Chuck. Yes, she’d liked the guy. She’d kissed him. “He was more of an outdoor enthusiast than I was willing to commit to.”

  Cal burst out laughing again, but Lisa wasn’t quite sure what was so funny. “You must like doing things outside,” she said.

  “I mean, I guess.”

  “You guess?” she repeated, much the same as him. They laughed together, and Lisa’s heart sang.

  “Chuck was into parasailing. Sea kayaking. Rock climbing.” She shook her head. “He was an extreme tour guide, and I kind of like to lay by the pool.”

  “Yeah, an online calendar type of woman,” he said with a grin.

  “Yes,” she said. “You so get me.”

  He pulled into Indian House and found a spot to park at the back of the lot. “So I love coffee, and you love laying by the pool.”

  “And we both love Indian food,” she said. “Sounds like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it?” She laughed so he’d know she wasn’t really serious, but her mind rotated around the idea of having her first serious relationship with Cal during the rest of their dinner.

  He walked her all the way back to the eleventh floor and handed her the leftover butter chicken. “I had a great time tonight,” he said, leaning one hand against the doorframe. Lisa hadn’t even taken out her electronic key yet. “What do you think about going out with me again?”

  Lisa looked up at him, and his soul was so kind and so big. She wanted to spend a lot more time with him, so she tipped up onto her toes and touched her lips to his cheek, barley pulling away to say, “I’d love to go out with you again.”

  Their body heat mingled, and Lisa stayed on her toes for another moment before settling and turning to open her door. “You just tell me when you’re available. I have to go back to work on Monday, but I don’t do a whole lot in the evenings.”

  “Me either,” he said, his voice trapped down deep in his chest.

  Lisa smiled at him over her shoulder, unlocked her door, and went into her room. “Good-night, Cal.”

  “Night.” He didn’t look away from her as she carefully let the door come closed between them. A sigh filled her whole body, and she let it out as she waltzed into the room and picked up her pup.

  “He’s wonderful,” she told Suzy. “And I just know you’re going to love him, and his dog, and his daughter.” She danced with the French bulldog for a moment, putting the dog down when she squirmed.

  Lisa stood at the window, the beach in the dark just as spectacular as the day. Everything seemed so twinkly, including every nerve ending in her body. Her mind raced, but she pulled back on the accelerator, reminding herself not to get too far ahead of reality.

  After all, every first date she’d been on had felt this magical—and sometimes she couldn’t even get the guy to call her for a second.

  “But Cal’s already asked,” she whispered to herself, and she closed her eyes in a long blink while giddiness galloped through her.

  Still, she told herself. Don’t fall too fast.

  Lisa silenced the voice as she got ready for bed. Because if she knew how to fall slowly, she’d have done that in the past and saved herself all the broken hearts.

  Chapter Eight

  Cal checked
Lisa’s house while she was at work, and her house didn’t have the same spirit it possessed while she was inside it. Suzy didn’t seem too terribly worried to find him there, and he wondered if she made the drive from the hotel to her house to drop the dog off every day.

  Probably. Lisa was a creature of habit—he’d learned that over the last few days as they’d stayed in contact.

  Sierra had assured him that “at least half” of dating now was done through a device, and the yawn pulling through his whole body testified of that. His late-night texting sessions with Lisa had kept him awake much later than normal.

  Her walls had been dry when he’d gone by on Monday, and he’d marked his map with a green star so the crew would know the repairs were ready to be completed. The supplies had been ordered. The hours slipped away, each one full and busy, just the way Cal liked them. That way, he didn’t have a lot of mental room for his thoughts to take over. When he realized he’d been thinking more about Lisa than Jo for the past week, he paused, trying to figure out how he felt about that.

  His phone buzzed, and Cal pulled it from his pocket, hoping Lisa had texted him the answer to where she’d like to go to dinner that night. He’d worked too much to see her during the week, but it was Friday, and he wanted another weekend date with the stunning blonde woman. Maybe she’d wear another fancy pantsuit that left her shoulders bare except for a couple of thin straps. Or that intoxicating perfume he couldn’t seem to get out of his nose.

  But the message was from his daughter. Can I go to the outdoor cinema tonight?

  “This goes on the entire first floor?” Adam asked, and Cal looked up from his phone.

  “Yep,” he said, pocketing his device so he could help Adam bring in the boxes of flooring that were going down in Lisa’s house that day. He didn’t want to tell his daughter no, but he didn’t want to give his permission for her to go out with Travis either. The outdoor cinema served dinner along with a show, and he didn’t even know what was playing.