by Ciara Knight
“I didn’t know.” He stopped stirring and turned to look at her. His too-long hair fell over his forehead, and it looked disheveled, out of place, and oh-so-sexy.
“Why would you?” She needed something to do to keep her gaze away from the man by her side, so she rummaged through the cabinets, but he took her hand to tug her to stand and face him.
“Seriously. I never meant to belittle your grief. I tend to tease a lot, and that might be taken the wrong way. Comparing my divorce to your loss is unspeakable of me.”
She took in a stuttered breath, attempting to settle into the man’s touch. It was only her hand, a friendly gesture, but she’d worried for so long what it would feel like to have another man touch her besides Joe. To her surprise and shame, it didn’t feel awkward or wrong. She wasn’t sure how to accept the heat radiating up her arm or the way her pulse quickened, but she didn’t want to pull away either.
“Forgive me?”
His words pulled her from her distraction and back to their conversation. “Why do we need to compare grief at all? We each have suffered in our own ways. We shouldn’t compare what we’ve lost, just be there for each other.” She swallowed hard. Her mind spun with possibilities with a man for the first time since she was a teenager. It was dizzying. “As friends, I mean.”
“I’d like that.” The butter popped, thankfully drawing Trevor’s attention back to the pan long enough that she could escape his touch and her thoughts.
“I’ll get the toast going.” She opened three cupboards before he pointed his spatula toward the last one near the refrigerator.
“Something smells good out here.” Dustin entered but paused at the sight of her. “Well, hello there. Trevor didn’t tell me that you were coming by for brunch.”
He snagged three plates from the overhead cabinet. “Relax, she’s here to talk about business.”
“Right.” Dustin backed out of the kitchen. “No need to save me any. I’m going to run out and snag Wind. She says she’s hungry and alone.”
“No, you’re not going to bolt with a lie.” Trevor held out the plate with eggs to Dustin.
“Sounds like something Wind would say,” Julie slid two pieces of bread into the toaster before she realized they probably thought that she was trying to be alone with Trevor. She wanted to say something to correct them, but sometimes it was better to just shut her mouth or she’d make the situation worse. Of course it was already worse, because she realized she did want to be alone with Trevor.
“Right.” Dustin opened the glass sliding door. “Be back later.”
“Tell her to check and make sure Houdini’s at Mannie’s place. He should be, but I noticed a break in the wire and fixed it on my way here, which made me worry.”
Dustin saluted. “Right, the rodent. Got it.”
The toast popped up. “I wouldn’t say that in front of Houdini if I were you. He might forgive you once, but if you make him mad enough, you’ll be sorry.”
“I think I can handle a little thing like Houdini. I’m not afraid of him. I can be just as stubborn.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Julie slid the bread onto the plates.
Trevor leaned in. “Let Houdini teach him a lesson. Just make sure I’m there to see it.”
“I heard that.” Dustin closed the glass sliding door.
They were together.
Alone.
He must’ve seen her expression and decided to retreat to the small table. “No need to pull out the pepper spray. Friends, remember?”
She laughed. “I wasn’t the one who did that.”
“I know, but you looked like you were about to run before you had your food. We don’t want to waste those yolks, do we?”
“No, I’m eating.” She dug in and enjoyed Trevor’s quiet company. They ate mostly in silence with an occasional glance at each other. It had been a long time since she’d sat down for a meal with a man. If she were being honest with herself, it was nice. Too nice.
She focused on her toast, trying not to look uncomfortable. They were friends. That’s what they agreed to, so this was a business meeting. A way to find out what he was up to that could mess with the town. That was all. Nothing more.
Then why did her foot keep tapping along with her heart each time she caught sight of his green eyes and sexy hair? Why did she have a jittery feeling in her belly? And most of all, why didn’t she feel guilty for finding another man attractive? A man who wasn’t her husband.
Chapter Nine
Trevor enjoyed the easy banter with Julie. For some reason, the minute he’d heard she had lost her husband instead of divorcing, it made him see her in a different light. It shouldn’t have mattered, but it did. Perhaps because their marriage hadn’t failed and she hadn’t chosen to leave her husband for another man. She’d been a devoted wife for years. Many years, based on having a grown daughter.
Julie pushed her plate away from her and dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “So, you say you want to bring more business into Summer Island.”
“It’s not only a want, it’s a need.” He pushed his own plate away from him. “More than anything, I need this business to work.”
“Why?” she asked directly, but there wasn’t an easy answer.
He thought about it for a moment. “Every business needs customers.”
“That wasn’t what I asked.” Julie smiled and folded her hands. “We’re friends, right?”
“Right.”
“Why this business? Why here?” Julie asked.
He hesitated. “Honestly?”
She nodded.
“Dustin says it was my midlife/divorce crisis.”
“No, why do you think you chose this place? What do you see as success here at this chartering business? Do you want to have a bunch of sailors come through to charter your boat with little sailing experience? Do you want to have spring breakers vomiting all over the decks? Or do you want families to go out and enjoy adventures on the ocean and sandbars?”
He thought about it for a minute and then sat forward, resting his elbows on the table. “When you put it that way, I would say I’d prefer families to have adventures.”
Julie smacked her hand on the table. “If that’s your mission, then I can help you make that happen. There are regulars who come into town. I’ll reach out to them with your website or phone number they can book through. Also, we can attend the next town meeting and pass out flyers or cards with your website link on them.”
“You would do all that with me?” he asked, shocked at her offer. “I thought you didn’t want this business here.” He thought for a minute and dared to reach a little further. “Or me.”
She studied her knuckles for a moment and didn’t look up when she spoke again. “You’re not the problem. As for the business, I’m happy to help, as long as you don’t turn Summer Island into some party destination.” Her hand shot out, and she looked up with the most stunning silver-blue eyes. “Deal?”
He took her hand, welcoming the way her tiny fingers felt around his large hand. She was soft, dainty, beautiful, but strong and independent. He’d never met a woman with natural beauty, self-confidence, and passion like Julie before. “Deal.”
A clap of thunder in the distance warned of a coming storm. She withdrew from his touch. “Tomorrow, we’ll go around town and I’ll introduce you to everyone. Bring some flyers or cards. If you need a printer, there is one on the corner of Sunset and Main. Tell Barb that Julie sent you, and she’ll give you a discount.”
He welcomed having an excuse to spend more time with Julie, but he had real work to do. “Thanks for such a kind offer, but I have to finish working on the boats if I’m ever going to get my business off the ground. Is it necessary to go meet people face-to-face, or can I just get their email addresses and send them all the information?”
She smiled, a heart-throbbing, girl-next-store smile. “You’re not in Seattle anymore. Business is done differently in a small town. You want your company to thri
ve in Summer Island, then you want the people here to be involved. Trust me.”’
Another clap of thunder warned he better get to work before the storm reached them, ending his workday early. “Okay, I’ll give your suggestion a try.”
“Be at my place at eight in the morning. Unless that’s too early for a city boy like you.”
“I’m up at five.” He escorted her to the glass sliding door, not because he wanted her to go but because he wanted to get to work. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to stay in Summer Island, and for the first time since he’d arrived, he wanted to stay for more reasons than hiding from the media.
“I can get the dishes done since you cooked, so you can get to work before the afternoon storm hits. There’ll be a lot more of them once the summer months arrive.”
He opened the door. “No. I invited you to brunch, and you’re helping me with my business.”
“It’s no trouble. Honestly, maybe helping you with your business will nudge me in a direction for my own. You were right.” She glanced through the glass sliding door, as if to see her future in the distance. “I’m not the type to be running a souvenir shop.”
He could see the internal conflict within her. The struggle between her past and her future. It was understandable that she was still trying to figure out her new life without a husband. Especially since he assumed they’d been married young. It made him realize the mess of his life was nothing in comparison to what she had faced. “What do you think you might want to do?”
She looked at him, her gaze intense but inviting. “I was an artist years ago. Some of my work won awards and was even placed in the town museum. Nothing compared to big city, but I might try my hand at that again.”
“What kind of art?” he asked, opening the door and walking her out. The warm sun caused him to shield his eyes so he could still see her walking by his side.
“It’s not traditional painting or sketching, although I do enjoy sketching. I’m an artist who uses nature. My piece that was placed in the museum years ago was said to be ahead of its time. I worked with a retired bee keeper and designed a mold in the shape of a pesticide can. Bees were becoming more scarce in the area, so I did some research and discovered that the new pesticides they were using were having a direct effect on bees producing honeycombs.”
“That’s not only art, that’s political and profound. How old were you?”
“Sixteen.”
“I went to parties and drank too much at that age. It wasn’t until I was eighteen that I even thought about the world beyond myself.” He looked down at her five-foot-fourish frame and saw a giant heart. “I get it now.”
“What?”
“Why you don’t want tourists here. It’s not just about you wanting to keep things the same. You want to protect and preserve what exists. I can respect that.” And he could, which surprised him, since the previous company he worked with bought old buildings and tore them down to build parking garages.
“Perhaps, or it could be both reasons.” She eyed the path behind the old fence near the Houdini tunnel. “I better go check on Houdini. Dustin might have found himself in some trouble if he called him a rodent. Houdini is sensitive like that.”
“I’ll walk you home.” He didn’t get a chance to take a step before his phone rang.
“You should answer that. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s probably Dustin. You might need me to come with you.” He glanced down at the screen to discover it wasn’t Dustin.
It was Marsha. The ex-wife who ran out without a word, who cheated on him, took everything she could in the divorce without even facing him or speaking to him. The lawyers had handled everything for her. Now, months later, with the divorce final and him moving on with his life, she decides to speak to him? He stared down at her number as if it wasn’t real. “It’s my ex,” he mumbled, but the shock took hold and he didn’t say anything else.
He wanted to tell Julie that he didn’t want to talk to his ex. He wanted to tell Julie that if he had a choice, he’d rather spend the day with her. He wanted to tell her she was a special woman who he wanted to get to know better.
But he didn’t say any of those things because he couldn’t comprehend why Marsha would call him now. And God help him, he stared at that phone even after the ringing had stopped, because as much as he was curious about why she was calling, he was equally dreading finding out.
Chapter Ten
“Naked?” Wind squealed. “You go girl.”
Julie wasn’t in the mood for Wind’s antics, not when she was packing up the last twenty-something years of her life. She sat on the ground surrounded by boxes, carefully folding an old flannel shirt Joe used to wear. It had been his favorite.
Bri squeezed her arm. “You’re doing the right thing, Mom.”
“I know.”
“Ignoring me won’t make me stop asking. Inquiring old friends want to know all the juicy details.” Wind plopped down and threw her arms around Julie. “But Bri’s right. You’re doing great.”
The evening breeze swept through the garden and offered a reprieve from the humidity after the rain. Not to mention the dripping sweat from working in the once-studio-turned-storage-room all day.
“So Mr. Mannie was certain Houdini wasn’t there?” Julie asked, eyeing the tunnel at the side of the house.
“Don’t worry about Houdini, Mom. He’s sulking somewhere,” Bri reassured her, but Julie couldn’t help but worry. He wouldn’t be able to find his way home if he got out of the tunnels.
Wind released Julie. “No way you’re changing the subject now.” She propped her elbows on her legs and held her head between her hands, staring Julie down. “Come on. Give us more details about naked Trevor, girl.”
“Nothing to tell. It was an accident.”
“Mom, seriously?” Apparently Bri wasn’t going to let this go, either. Why had Julie even mentioned it? Because she’d been so flustered, she needed to tell someone.
“How do you accidentally see a man naked?” Wind asked with an air of sarcasm.
“He was showering.” The minute the words were out of her mouth, she knew she’d made a mistake. “Outside. He was bathing outside when I accidentally saw him.”
“What did he do? What did you do?” Bri asked, abandoning her packing and settling cross-legged facing her.
“I screamed. He covered himself. That’s it.” Julie grabbed her nearby iced tea and took a sip, trying to keep the warmth bubbling up inside her from surging through her. Funny how it happened each time she thought of seeing Trevor naked.
“Wait until Kat and Trace arrive in a couple days. They’re going to love this story.” Wind took her phone out of her pocket and started typing.
“I think it can wait until they get here,” Julie grumbled, not looking forward to the three of them, plus her daughter, playing matchmaker. How could she sit here packing her husband’s clothes while talking about another man? It was wrong.
“I’m not texting them. I’m looking up more on our Trevor Ashford. Dustin said he’d been cheated on by his ex-wife and there was all sorts of publicity around it.”
“Poor guy.” Bri tucked her legs under her, as if to settle in for a while. “Maybe that’s why he decided to come to Summer Island. It’s a place to get away from it all.”
“I think so.” Julie twirled her metal straw around her glass, watching the amber liquid swirl. Trevor had said she’d been the one who had suffered more, but that wasn’t true. Heartbreak couldn’t be measured. She was glad she’d extended an offer of friendship to him. “I’m helping him by providing an introduction to the town tomorrow. He’s agreed to concentrate more on family adventures than spring break crowds, so I thought I’d help.”
“What did you have to do to convince him of that?” Wind asked in a sensual tone.
“Please, we barely know each other. I’m just helping a new business out while ensuring we keep the charm of our small town intact.”
“Barely know him
. I think you know him intimately.” Wind gasped. “Oh my goodness, Dustin didn’t tell me that Trevor was married to the Marsha Thompson.”
“Who’s that?” Julie asked, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
“Only a world-famous model and social diva.” Wind dropped her hands, still holding the phone in her lap. “Wow, this guy must not have a type.”
“Thanks. I realize I’m not model material, but I have other good qualities.”
Bri rubbed Julie’s back and handed her another shirt to fold, as if she had to soothe her each time she touched something of Joe’s. This was Bri’s father. Julie should be comforting her daughter, not the other way around.
“I’m not talking about the model part. She’s a head-tripping, manipulative, crazy woman who uses men to further her career.”
“Sounds like he deserves a better woman in his life. Hmmm, I wish I knew someone who would be good for him.” Bri stood. “Refill?” She took Julie’s glass, but Wind waved her off as if she didn’t have time to focus on anything but the juicy gossip on the internet.
“It sounds like she’s given him some trouble.” Julie struggled between wanting to know more and facing further conversation with Wind. “Dustin didn’t say anything else?”
Wind shouldered her gently. “Ah, now she wants the deets.”
Deets? What was she? Ten years old? “Don’t tell me. It doesn’t matter.”
“Since you twisted my boa, I’ll dish.” Wind acted like she threw a scarf around her neck and leaned back. “Soooo, Dustin said that the woman cheated on Trevor with his secretary. A male secretary he’d hired because his ex insisted he not work with a woman. She was apparently the extremely jealous type. Despite her infidelity, Trevor tried to make it work. Something about believing in the institution of marriage and needing to try, unlike his parents.”
Considering Wind had divorced twice already, Julie guessed she didn’t feel the same way about marriage. Julie didn’t want to touch that conversation, though, so she folded two more articles of clothing and moved a little out of Wind’s reach to work on some tools. “Doesn’t sound like the type of woman he’d go for.” Julie dropped a rusty saw into the trash with a clammer. “Not that I know him well enough to attest to that.”
