A Lot Like Love

by Jennifer Snow

  Damn. Could he see how hairy they were from that distance?

  His gaze drinking her in made her wish she’d braved the cold water a little longer. The hot sun beating down on her wasn’t to blame for the heat rushing through her core. It wasn’t lust or desire in Wes’s eyes scanning her, but a hint of amusement.

  No doubt he was thinking that she hadn’t changed a bit since high school. So much for trying to rewrite the local perception.

  “There’s no hot water,” she said.

  “Oh shit, sorry. I thought you’d be done by now. The plumber arrived and needed to shut the hot water off to do some repairs. As promised in the quote, we’re replacing the hot water tank with a higher efficiency unit.”

  She’d appreciate that once she was dressed and dried off and all the soap was out of her hair, perhaps. “Can he turn it back on just for a few minutes?” She hadn’t exactly been prepared for him to start the renovations that day, but she vaguely remembered agreeing to it after the second bottle of wine the evening before.

  She’d been afraid she’d back out if she slept on the idea.

  “Sorry, Sarah, no can do. He’s on the clock, and we need to come in on budget.” Wes grinned as he descended the ladder.

  Nope. Go back up there.

  She shielded herself as best she could as he walked toward her, then tugged at the top of the towel while trying to drag it lower on her thighs, but the fabric would only go one way or the other.

  Why are these towels so small?

  His amusement seemed to grow as he witnessed her struggle, his blue eyes even more intoxicating when his smile reached them. She’d always been a sucker for that smile. How many times had she falsely assumed that his smile meant something more? Hoped that maybe their friendship could develop into something deeper? She’d been so drawn to him years ago that she hadn’t even given a second glance to any other guy at school. But Wes had only ever been interested in her ability to help math make sense.

  “The ocean’s warm. You could go for a dip,” he said casually.

  She cocked her head to the side. “In my towel?”

  “Or naked,” he said, putting his hammer in his tool belt. “It’s not like you haven’t done it before.”

  Her mouth dropped; then she snapped it closed. “We were silly teenagers, and we were never supposed to speak of it again.” That night almost fifteen years ago had been filtered through her memory so many times over the years, she’d almost convinced herself it had never happened.

  Unfortunately, the sting of humiliation lingered, assuring her that moment was real.

  It was his last tutoring session before final exams. They’d been studying on a picnic bench on the beach in front of the inn, almost unaware that the sun had set until they couldn’t see the math book anymore. Wes had been teasing her about the fact that she’d insisted they study on a Friday night. Of course he was meeting friends after their session…while her big plans had consisted of studying for her chemistry final.

  Somewhere along the way, he’d dared her to run into the ocean. Naked.

  “I got two math problems in a row right…a third and you have to go skinny dipping,” he’d said.

  “I’m not following your logic. Why would I have to do that?” she’d asked, her teenage hormones aflutter. Wes Sharrun wanted to see her naked?

  Naked? Or humiliated? Or just whether or not she was brave enough to do it?

  He’d shrugged. “A reward?”

  He was still teasing her. And testing her. But just once, she wanted to prove that she wasn’t simply the bookworm, the clumsy nerd they all thought she was.

  So she’d accepted the challenge. “Fine. But this is a tough one,” she said, sliding the practice problem his way.

  Her heart thundered as he lowered his head over the paper. Did she want him to get it right or not?

  He’d grinned as he’d slid the paper back toward her seconds later. “I guess this means you have to take your clothes off.”

  Dang. He’d gotten it right.

  Okay, she wouldn’t back down from the challenge. But not with him watching. “Turn around.”

  His look of surprise revealed he’d never expected her to actually go through with it. But she refused to walk away from a bet or a dare or any kind of challenge. Everyone thought she was a shy, quiet nerd, but she had a fun side, too.

  As Wes turned away from her, she hid behind a garbage can on the beach and removed her shorts and tank top, then her bra and underwear. A deep breath for courage and she was running into the waves before he could turn around.

  His expression when he’d seen her in the ocean revealed she’d definitely impressed him. She’d impressed herself, actually. And when he’d climbed out of his swim trunks and joined her in the moonlight waves, she’d almost taken the leap, almost asked him on a date…a real one, one without their math books. And she’d been almost certain that he would have said yes. That night in the water, there had definitely been a spark between them.

  Then Kelly and several of his friends had appeared in their car on the beach and honked their horn at him, and after just a second of contemplation, he’d abandoned her for them. She’d been left bobbing naked in the ocean, the sound of her classmates’ laughter echoing in her ears.

  “Sarah?” He waved a hand in front of her face.

  “Sorry, what?”

  “I said, you could drive to my place to finish showering if you want.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket, but she shook her head.

  “That’s okay. I’ll figure something out,” she mumbled.

  The sound of a lawn mower in the back had her peeking around the side of the house. An older man, wearing a set of noise-canceling headphones, was cutting the grass along the fence. “Who’s that?”

  Wes shrugged. “Not one of my guys. He arrived about fifteen minutes ago and said he used to do the landscaping for Dove.”

  Sarah bit her lip. “I hope she didn’t pay him much.” She’d hate to have to let him go, though she could barely afford these renovations. But how did she fire a senior citizen? From that distance, the guy looked to be about a hundred years old. His slow pace made her hope he didn’t charge by the hour. “Could you try to find out who he is?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Great…thanks. Um, I’ll be leaving in a few hours. I’ll just give you the keys to the place, and you have my cell number…”

  Wes frowned. “You mean you’re going back to the city?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you were sticking around while the renos were being done.”

  “Why would I do that?” The edge to her voice had him retreating slightly. As though he couldn’t possibly understand why she’d want to leave and get back to her life. Why being back in a hometown that never fully understood her could be causing her anxiety. Or how seeing him and remembering the past might have her itching to once again distract herself with long hours at work. “I’m needed back at the office.”

  “Yeah, no, I get it,” he said. “So I assume you’ve added the inn to your homeowner insurance already?”

  She frowned. “I rent.”

  “You have no coverage on the place? I know Dove let it expire.”

  Damn it! “Don’t you have insurance and workers’ comp?” She eyed the men on the roof.

  “I do. But that covers my ass. What if someone stumbles in here when we’re not around and gets hurt?”

  Sarah sighed. This place was already a headache. “I’ll figure it out.” She was not staying here another day. There had to be a way around this. Preferably a quick way.

  She turned to go back inside. Now more desperate than ever to get the shampoo out of her hair and figure this out.

  “Oh, and Sarah?”

  She stopped and turned back. “What?”

  “That towel is really see-thro
ugh.”

  …

  Wes hadn’t expected that sight this morning.

  Sarah Lewis in a towel, wet hair hanging down her shoulders, long legs coming out of the towel from one end and an amazing view of her cleavage above the other had nearly made him fall off the ladder. Her body was insane. She’d always been an attractive girl in her understated way, but she’d definitely grown into the long, lanky build and filled out in all the right places. The sexy collarbone and the soft-looking skin at her chest had his mouth going dry, and the hourglass figure hugged by the barely there towel had him struggling not to envision the body beneath.

  He shook his head as he climbed back up the ladder. What the hell was wrong with him? It was Sarah. Sarah didn’t make his body react this way. She’d been his smart friend, his tutor, the quiet, introverted girl who watched the fun from the sidelines.

  So why was he now dealing with a semi-hard-on while he worked in the sweltering mid-morning heat? The instant he’d seen her standing there soaking wet, he’d been transported back to that night in the ocean.

  His dare was one he’d thought she’d never take him up on, but she’d surprised the hell out of him. Discovering that she had a wilder, less reserved side had him wondering what else he was missing when he looked at her. What other qualities was she hiding from the rest of the world? He’d found himself intrigued by her that night in a way he hadn’t expected.

  Then, when he’d joined her in the dark ocean waves, illuminated by the moon, there had been a moment. Just a quick one…

  He shook his head. That was in the past. Nothing had happened between them then, and nothing would now. He’d never really thought of her that way, and it had to be just the sexy body she’d grown overnight that had him reacting like he was.

  But damn, what a body.

  It had been a long time since he’d been with a woman. Since Kelly. He wasn’t interested in dating or one-night stands. He had too much responsibility and too much on the line to mess around. It had been five years, but he wasn’t sure there was a time limit on grief. Just because a significant amount of time had passed and it was okay to move on, Wes couldn’t jump into a new relationship if he wasn’t ready. If his heart wasn’t in it. It wouldn’t be fair to himself or to the woman or to Marissa.

  His daughter was his priority, and he wasn’t ruling out the possibility of another relationship in his future, another shot at happiness, but to take a chance, to take that leap, it needed to be worth it.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t deny that something had stirred in him just now seeing Sarah. He hadn’t been tempted by someone in a long time, and he’d certainly been tempted looking at her.

  He hammered several tiles into place, desperate to shake the image of her, to shake the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach, but both lingered.

  And that worried the hell out of him. Good thing she planned to leave right away.

  Hearing her stressed-out voice inside her room, he stopped hammering. She must be on a call.

  “It’s going to cost how much?”

  Obviously checking out the insurance.

  “No, that’s fine. I really don’t have a choice. Please send me the paperwork as soon as possible,” she said.

  He heard the regret in her voice, and a slight pang of guilt hit him. He’d basically convinced her to do the renovations and had purposely started them before she could have a change of heart. He hadn’t meant to cause her more headache, but he really didn’t want to see Dove’s Nest torn down and replaced by some big hotel chain resort.

  “It’s going to take how long?” he heard her say. “Can’t I sign the documents electronically or something?” A long pause. “So I’m basically stuck here guarding the place until the paperwork goes through?”

  An unexpected twist in his chest he couldn’t quite define had him even more uneasy. Obviously Sarah wasn’t able to make the quick escape she’d been hoping for.

  And he wasn’t sure just how he felt about that.

  Chapter Five

  “What do you mean, you’re staying?”

  “Believe me, Gail, if there was any other way around it…” Sarah rubbed her chest as she paced the bedroom an hour later after boiling water to rinse her hair and sponge bathe her body.

  This was a nightmare. She should never have agreed to these renovations. She’d back out now if she hadn’t already received the huge fruit basket from Mayor Rodale’s office thanking her for being such an amazing community member. She couldn’t return it—she’d already eaten all the grapes.

  “Can’t you just put barricades around the property and no trespassing signs?” Her boss clearly thought this was the least of Sarah’s priorities right now.

  “Apparently, I’ll still be liable if anyone gets injured.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The call to the insurance company had not gone as planned. They needed copies of new ownership, which Sarah needed to apply for from the city with a copy of Dove’s will, and then the application could take a few weeks to process, with their prehistoric way of filing paperwork with actual paper!

  “How long do you think you’ll need?”

  Sarah heard the warning in her boss’s voice. She shut her eyes tight and prepared for an earful. “A few weeks?”

  “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  “I’m sorry, Gail. I know the timing isn’t ideal. But don’t worry, I can work remotely, and I’ll be back in the city in plenty of time to present the proposal to SmartTech Kids.”

  “It’s not ideal, Sarah, but you do have the holiday time banked,” she said begrudgingly.

  Sarah’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you.”

  “I’m expecting great things with the next version of the proposal.”

  Sarah winced. “Absolutely. Already have some new ideas.” The lie wasn’t convincing anyone.

  “And make sure you use our existing clients’ software we’ve developed for them for any technology upgrades you’re planning,” she said.

  Sarah frowned, then her eyes widened. Upgrades! That was a brilliant idea. “I definitely will,” she said. “Thank you,” she added before disconnecting the call.

  If she was stuck renovating the inn anyway, why not do it her way?

  An hour later, her list was growing.

  Starting at the check-in desk, she made her way through the old house and was almost vibrating as the ideas came to her. Dove had never upgraded to an online reservation and check-in system. Dove’s Nest had a website that Sarah made years ago in high school and that had been sufficient for her grandmother. Dove had still preferred that guests call to make reservations—said she could always get a vibe about them from the phone call and was able to tailor their experiences to suit them. Quiet, shy guests were treated to more privacy, and outgoing travelers were the ones Dove would deliver breakfast in the room or plan afternoon teas in the library.

  She really knew how to read people. It was one of her gifts.

  But any potential buyers would be expecting an online system and computerized check-in, not the paper ledger books her grandmother still kept in banker boxes in the attic dating back fifty years or more.

  Moving into the den, she made a note to add a computer station with scanner and printer. Guests might want the access to check in for their travel plans and flights after their stay, and some might need to log in for business purposes.

  The library she’d leave as it was…besides updating the furniture. The old sofas and chairs were worn and the fabrics faded. But she would ask Jessica for her help with that. Her friend’s parents collected antiques and old furniture for their store on Main Street, and Sarah would replace the furnishings in this room with antiques in better shape. Her intent wasn’t to modernize every room in the inn, just ensure guests were as comfortable as possible.

  She ran a hand along the bookshelf, along the dusty spin
es of old classic novels. As a kid, this was one of her favorite rooms in the B&B. She’d read so many of these books and in later years, she’d study in the library, which was often quiet and underutilized. Her grandmother would bring her snacks, and they’d sit and chat for hours sometimes. Dove had led a fascinating life from the stories she told, but more often she listened more than talked and Sarah always had a feeling that there were things—secrets, parts of herself she kept in a special place, locked away.

  She paused, seeing an old journal at the end of the shelf. The hair rose on the back of her neck, and a shiver ran through her as her thoughts manifested. Picking it up, she turned the old, weathered leather book over in her hands and recognized her grandmother’s initials embossed in the cover.

  It was locked by a tarnished latch on the side, and there was no key attached or on the shelf… What should she do?

  If Jessica were here, the lock would be picked by now, but something gave her pause. These were Dove’s secrets, her private thoughts. Would she want Sarah to read them? Leaving something so personal lying around seemed awfully trusting. Then again, now people used social media as their diary, so there was no real privacy anymore.

  She ran a finger over the initials D. L., then she carried the book to the old mahogany desk near the window and placed it in a drawer before picking up her upgrades list and continuing on her mission through the inn, the old journal lingering in the back of her mind.

  …

  Using his discarded T-shirt, tucked into the top of his jeans, Wes wiped his forehead the next morning. It was just a little past eight a.m., but already the blazing summer sun in the cloudless sky beat down on him. It was going to be a scorcher. Perched on a ladder, haphazardly propped against Mrs. Granier’s old oak tree on her lawn, Wes hung her latest bird feeder. Next to the seventeen other bird feeders in the tree.

  All of which he’d hung for her.

  He wasn’t at all fooled into believing Mrs. Granier was an avid bird-watcher. He knew she chased squirrels out of these wooden, multicolored painted boxes more often than not. Her request for his assistance always oddly enough coincided with her weekly breakfast book club.