by Ciara Knight
Wind laughed. “Oh, I think—”
“Stop. I get it.” She threw her arms in the air and spun around in her best imitation of Wind commanding a stage. “We all know I saw Trevor Ashford naked.”
“I guess everyone does now,” a deep male voice Julie willed not to be Trevor’s echoed through the garden, stilling her movement.
She closed her eyes and mumbled to herself, “Please tell me that isn’t him behind me. It wouldn’t be. It can’t be.”
“Oh, it is, dear.” Wind approached and tapped her on the shoulder. “I’ll give you two some privacy,” she said loud enough to make sure everyone in the garden heard.
She spun around, eyes open, feeling like someone had used a torch to heat her skin. “What are you doing here? I thought you were busy. I know I am.”
Bri inserted herself between them, holding Houdini up with his wiggling nose. “Mom, he brought Houdini back.”
“I found him snuggled up in the boat by the engine. He wasn’t too happy when I took him out.” Trevor held out his arm, showing scratches across his wrists.
“Houdini. No. You didn’t.”
“Don’t be too hard on him. He didn’t mean to. I think he was chasing something in his dreams and I scared him.”
“Oh, right. I should’ve warned you. When Houdini’s dreaming, you have to call out for him to wake up and not get too close. Mr. Mannie says he has PTPD.”
Trevor’s brows rose. “What’s that?”
“Post-traumatic pet disorder. Mr. Mannie says his old owners were mean to him and he still suffers in his dreams.”
“Well, then don’t be too upset with the little guy.” Despite his wrist lacerations, he scratched under Houdini’s chin.
The ferret blinked at them both and turned his head in that way that tried to look innocent. “Okay, but you need to stay inside until I make sure you can’t get out of the tunnels.”
“I can help you look tomorrow after you introduce me to the people in town,” Trevor offered.
Bri quietly back-stepped out of the garden with two thumbs-up behind Trevor’s back. Julie ignored her and tried to keep her focus on Trevor.
“That’s awfully nice of you, but I’m sure you’re really busy,” Julie said, picking up another tool and looking at it from different directions to see the condition of it.
“No busier than you, I see. Doing some spring cleaning?” Trevor asked.
“Something like that. I’m donating this old junk.” Julie said it and knew it was true, but why was it so hard to get rid of broken old stuff?
“Really?” Trevor lit up, his gaze scanning the area and stopping on something near her feet. “If you don’t mind, can I have some of those zip ties over there?”
She followed his gaze to Joe’s old box of extras. Bits and bobs of nothing important, but she couldn’t give any of it to Trevor. Giving it to a stranger was one thing, but giving it to a friend—a friend who each time he entered the room, her pulse quickened—was wrong. “No. I can’t give that to you.”
“Right. Sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep. I can pick some up tomorrow at the local hardware store. No worries. I’ll see you at eight in the morning.” Trevor rushed from the garden, leaving Julie to face her guilt. The only problem was that she felt more guilt about telling Trevor no than having him in her home. That only made her feel more guilty. She picked up the zip ties and felt the plastic strips between her fingers as if Joe had been holding it moments ago. “Oh, Joe. I don’t know how to do this. Bri’s right, you’d want me to move on. But how do I do that without hurting your memory?”
A hand rested on her shoulder, so Julie swiped her eyes, not wanting Bri to see her cry. Julie needed to be the strong one. She was the mother.
“Oh, Jewels. You could never harm Joe. He adored you from the time we were children.” Wind’s soft, sincere voice soothed Julie. “It’s been three years. You need to let him go.”
“But I can’t forget him. If I do, then he’s really gone.” The dull ache that had settled in her chest a year ago expanded and intensified.
Wind turned her around and cupped her cheeks. “He’s already gone from this life, but he’ll always be in here.” She put her palm to Julie’s chest. “And if I know Julie Boone, she has enough room in her heart for everyone. Hon, you don’t have to forget Joe to feel something for Trevor.”
“I don’t?” Julie trembled. To face caring for another meant she was really letting go of Joe. The man she’d been meant to grow old with. Her homecoming hero. The man she’d married and had a child with at such a young age. “He was gone before I even said goodbye. It was so sudden. Gone before he hit the floor.”
“I know, honey. I know.” Wind pulled Julie into her arms and held her up. The way she had when they were teenagers when Julie had found out she was pregnant. She was right then that Joe loved her and would want to marry her, but was she right now? Did Julie really have enough room in her heart for the man of her past and a man for her future?
Chapter Eleven
Trevor paused at the edge of the road leading to Julie’s shop and house. He’d been up half the night, remembering how she’d reacted to his asking for the zip ties. Apparently she’d wanted to put distance between them. That had to be it. The only explanation he could come up with after tossing and turning all night. The situation had been awkward because of her catching him at the outdoor shower. Yes, that’s why she’d been so weird when he’d returned Houdini to her yesterday. Had she thought he did it on purpose? Some sort of ploy to get her into his bed?
He shook his head, hoping that’s not what she’d thought. He took a deep breath and decided to keep a comfortable distance from her today. Make sure that she knew he wasn’t trying to make her feel uncomfortable. That’s what they were, friends, and he needed to remember that. After all, he wasn’t looking for a relationship, and she wasn’t ready for one. Today, he’d make sure he maintained boundaries and concentrated on all things business. If he was ever going to get the town locals to help spread the word, he was smart enough to know he needed an insider.
At the end of the drive, he straightened his collared shirt and held tight to his small box of cards he’d made last night to distribute to the town. Not that he understood how this would help, but apparently things were done differently in Summer Island.
He knocked on the front door and waited.
“Jewels, your date is here and looking hot as ever!” Wind’s voice came through the open front window.
Trevor hoped they would escape Wind quickly. He’d already heard it all from Dustin this morning. He’d put all sorts of crazy thoughts in Trevor’s head about asking Julie out on a real date and how Trevor was totally falling for the woman but he wouldn’t admit it to himself. Hogwash. All of it. What did his friend know, beyond games and dating a different woman every night?
The door swung open, and Julie stood there in a spaghetti-strapped top—a term he’d learned from his ex—and skirt that showed off her tan swimmer’s legs. Her shirt was a deep ocean blue, which made her eyes pop like the morning sun cresting the horizon.
“Ready?” She closed the door behind her, leaned into him, stealing his breath, and whispered, “Don’t worry. Wind’s leaving to help her sister out. She won’t be around much today.”
“I hope her sister’s okay,” he blurted, not sure what else to say.
“Minor surgery, so she’ll be fine. So, are you ready?”
“Right. Yes.” He held up his box of cards.
“Keep an eye on Houdini for me,” she called through the open window. “Okay, we’ll hit Cassie’s Catch first, then the marine store, Summer Sweets, the corner store, hardware, post office, and nail salon. Sound good?”
“Sure.” He side-stepped, allowing her room to walk down the path so they weren’t so close together.
“Thanks again for doing this,” he said while following her down the narrow walkway to Main.
“No problem. I needed to run some errands anyway.” She moved a
round a pothole closer to him, so he moved away so he didn’t crowd her.
At the end of the street, they turned left, landing them in the heart of town. The cute, quaint shops were inviting. A restaurant with a large rope net hung from an awning, looking inviting. The aroma of fried fish and other goodies reminded him he’d skipped breakfast in his haste to make it on time to Julie’s place.
They strolled into the main dining area, which was reminiscent of an old pirate ship, with wooden plank walls, sails, and a large helm in the center in front of a repurposed mast pole.
“Hey, Cassie. I’ve got someone I want you to meet,” Julie called out the minute they entered.
Trevor retrieved a card from the box and found a burly man with tattoos up his arm wiping his hands on a dishtowel. “Hello. I’m Trevor Ashford. I started a business at the end of Hammerhead Drive. It’s a charter business. I have a sailboat and a motorboat, and I hope to take families out on adventures. Here’s my card.” He held out the card to the man, who looked to Julie as if to translate.
“Where’d you find this stuffed-crabby outsider?” the burly man asked.
“You think?” Julie laughed and opened her arms to the large man.
Trevor didn’t like the way the man, who he assumed was the owner Cassie, picked Julie up off the ground in a too-intimate hug.
Once he placed her on her feet again, he turned to Trevor. “Some advice, son.”
Son? He was maybe ten years or so older than Trevor. How patronizing.
“In a small town, you might want to say hello before you spout out your entire business plan. Things run a little less cut-throat ’round here. It’s part of our charm.” Cassie rubbed Julie’s back, making sweat pool on the back of Trevor’s neck, or was that the heat from the kitchen? Either way, he didn’t like it. “How you doing, girl?”
“Fine. How’re you and Sandy?” she asked, not seeming to mind his touch at all.
“Great. Hey, I heard that the gang is coming back to town. You gals used to rule Summer Island.”
“That was a lifetime ago.” To Trevor’s relief, she swatted Cassie away.
“Still, I’d be honored if you gals came here for a meal while you’re all in town together. I’ll throw a fiftieth party for you.”
She was turning fifty? She didn’t look a day over thirty-five. It was a relief to know he didn’t go after younger women all the time like Dustin had accused him of doing. They continued to chat as Trevor stood there smelling seafood and old wood. He was once a man who commanded board rooms and negotiations. Now he couldn’t even navigate a simple conversation.
“Tell you what… If our girl Julie here vouches for you, I’ll hand out some of your cards to people here.” He took the card from Trevor and tossed it on a long table with the rest of the small-town sales paraphernalia. “I’ve got to get to work, but look forward to you and the girls coming in for a bite.”
“Of course. They’ll be here tonight,” Julie said.
Trevor realized that come this evening, she would be caught up with all her friends and have no time to hang out with him. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t like that thought.
They left the restaurant, and Julie halted at the sidewalk. “Okay, what gives?”
“What do you mean?” Trevor looked to the restaurant behind him, the nail salon with the starfish logo across the street, and then to Julie.
“Seriously? I guess Wind was wrong and you’re not into me. That’s fine, but you don’t have to worry. I won’t attack you. You don’t have to keep moving away from me or acting like some big-city robot.”
“I’m not moving away from you. I’m giving you space.” Trevor rubbed his forehead, trying to clear the noise.
“Maybe I don’t need that much space.” Julie flipped her hair away from her face and sighed. “Listen. I know I was rude yesterday, and I apologize for that.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Trevor offered, but Julie shook her head.
“I do, but let’s table the why and the bigger conversation for later. We can talk after we’re done here, someplace without a dozen prying eyes on us. For now, try not to look like a scared minnow in a shark tank.” She took a few steps and halted again. “And try to smile and greet someone before you shove the cards at them.”
“I thought you told me to bring these.” Trevor looked down at the box in his hand.
Julie grabbed the box, opened it, shoved a few cards in his pocket—her touch sending a jolt through him—and then put the box on the crumbling brick half-wall in between the restaurant and the marine store. “There, now you can casually pull the card from your pocket once we get to that part of the conversation.”
“What do we do with the rest of them?” He pointed to the abandoned cards that took him three hours to create, proof, and print last night.
She waved it off. “They’ll be fine. No one wants to take your cards, trust me.” She sashayed ahead of him with a mesmerizing sway of her hips that made him follow her to the next stop.
This was his kind of store. A marine shop with all sorts of gadgets and lines and tools. Before Julie had a chance to introduce the owner, Trevor grabbed a wire cutter, screwdriver, sandpaper, and some zip ties and then pointed to the lines. “I need two hundred feet of that, please.”
“Sure, stranger. Welcome to Summer Island.” The older woman with sun-worn skin and small eyes but a bright smile jumped into action, measuring the line from the huge spool.
“I’m not a stranger. I shouldn’t be anyway. I’m a local now. Name’s Trevor Ashford.”
“Nice to meet you, Trevor. I’m Leslie, but everyone calls me Skip.” The woman shook his hand and then went back to measuring and then cutting the rope. “You a sailor?”
“I am. Actually, I’m opening a charter company here in town. At the spot of the abandoned old hotel.”
“That’s good news. That hotel needs some work, and it’s the only one in our town.”
Trevor hesitated, but honesty was the best policy. “Actually, I’m mostly concentrating on the chartering business right now. Maybe later, after I earn enough from this company, I can work on the hotel.”
Skip slammed her fist down on the counter. “Then let’s get you some business. I know lots of locals who love to sail. Ever think about teaching?”
“No. But it’s something for me to consider. Right now, I’m hoping to find some nice spots nearby to take people on picnics, bird watching, sea life spotting, anything fun and adventurous would be great.”
“I can help you with that. Oh, and also my daughter. She knows all the great spots.”
“I’ve got that covered.” Julie stepped out from an aisle and approached the register.
“Oh, Julie, I hadn’t seen you there.” She rang up the items on her iPad instead of the old-fashioned register sitting on the counter collecting dust.
“Right. I’m sure you could do that. But if Trevor here needs any additional help, my daughter’s available.” Skip bagged the smaller items and then rolled and fastened the rope so it was easy to carry. “Got a card?”
Trevor retrieved the square, rough-edged card from his pocket and slapped it onto the counter. “Sure do. I can bring flyers or send you an email or whatever you need if you can help spread the word.”
“Love to help. I’ll get my daughter, Rhonda, to give you a call soon.” Skip studied the card as if it were faux currency.
“Thanks, Skip.” Julie ushered him out the door. “Don’t answer that phone when it rings from Rhonda.”
Julie pursed her lips and eyed the store behind him as if it were full of salty aliens. He pulled his sunglasses from his pocket and put them on to shield his eyes from the bright rays so he could see Julie’s expression. It was tense. “Why not?”
“Because you don’t want to be Rhonda’s next victim. We have crazy even in small towns. She’ll want to marry you after one phone call. Trust me.”
“Why, Julie Boone, are you jealous?” Trevor teased.
&nbs
p; “I’m only trying to warn you. Rhonda isn’t the right person for you. She’s not a kind person. A few years ago, convinced Trace’s dad that the city was going to pay him pennies for his land so they could build a road through to connect the main strip with the ocean. He almost sold the property to Rhonda because she’d convinced him that she didn’t want to see him leave Trace with no inheritance.”
“What happened?” Trevor asked.
Julie smiled. “The town found out and put a stop to it. There are good people here. I want you to meet them, not fall into some black widow’s web, especially after what you’ve been through.”
“What I’ve been through?” he asked, wondering how much Dustin had told Wind, who’d obviously shared with the rest of the women.
She sighed. “You’re divorced. I know it had to be hard. Wind looked you up on the internet and told me that your ex was a difficult woman to deal with.”
“I told you, my grief is nothing compared to what you’ve been through.”
Julie stepped closer and took the bag from his hands. “And I told you, don’t compare our levels of grief. Pain hurts. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cut to the wrists…” She dropped the bag next to the box of cards and lifted his arms to trace the scratches Houdini had left on his skin. Her touch sent shock waves through him. “…or a gunshot wound to the heart.” She put her palm to his chest, stealing the breath from his lungs. “It all hurts at different times in different ways. You have as much of a right to be lost or confused or upset as I do.”
In that moment, he knew Julie was unlike any other woman he’d ever met. “Thank you for that.”
“Let’s finish up here, and then I want to take you to someplace special where we can talk without all the town watching.” She hooked one finger around his hand and tugged him toward the next stop on their Summer Island tour.
Julie was the kindest, most honest, fun, easy to talk to, and beautiful woman he’d ever met. Not to mention, the way one finger dusting his skin made his entire body quake, one smile brightened his day, and the thought of one kiss hooking him didn’t scare him. One kiss from Julie wouldn’t destroy him but would heal every wound—wrists, heart, and soul.
