* * *
After dinner, they snuggled up on the couch, something they’d never done in the month they’d been seeing each other. They usually took a direct path from the kitchen to the bedroom—and back in the morning.
With her head on his broad chest and his arm around her shoulders, they stared in silence at the orange flames dancing in the fireplace, and nothing else seemed to matter but the two of them, their hearts beating in unison and the logs crackling. The only thing that would make it more romantic would be rain pelting on the roof. She could get used to this.
What was she doing? Why was she letting him pull her into this cozy and romantic alternate universe? And why did it feel so good when it was supposed to feel wrong?
“You know the thing my mother said, about me and jail…” He broke the silence and she was grateful for the diversion.
“You don’t have to tell me everything about your life.” She patted his chest to reassure him, but in all honesty, she didn’t want to know. She was afraid of what he might say. “It’s not like we’re a couple.”
“Right. I nearly forgot we’re only bed buddies.” He chuckled as he squeezed her a bit tighter. “But I don’t want you to think I’m an ex-con or something.”
“Oh, well. I used to think you were a serial killer anyway.”
“That didn’t seem to stop you from jumping into my bed though.” His hand moved down her back and he pinched her butt.
“It’s the thrill of danger. You know, sleeping with the bad guy and all.” She chuckled, rubbing her hand on his chest. “Go ahead now. Spill it. I promise I won’t judge.”
He didn’t speak for a minute. He didn’t even move; he just breathed evenly. Charli lifted her head from his chest to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep.
He smiled. “I’m just trying to find the right words.”
“Just spit it out, Bob. Judgment-free zone, remember?” She waved her hand in a circle to include them both, and he smiled again. Was it weird that just a simple smile made her feel all hot and bothered? If it hadn’t been for his serious tone a moment before, and his obvious need to get it all off his chest, she would probably have ripped his clothes off.
Gee, what’s wrong with you?
This guy was pulling out a side of herself she didn’t even know she possessed.
“Okay, well… I’ll try to keep it short, then. When I graduated from architectural college in Portland, I found a job in one of the best architectural studios in the city. I spent five years there, designing rich people’s dream houses. I wasn’t particularly fond of wearing a suit and tie every day, but I needed to kick-start my career and that was the best starting point, so I sucked it up.”
The vision of Kean in that black tux on the wedding day caused her belly to flutter. He might not like suits and ties, but he definitely looked handsome when he wasn’t wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.
Even more handsome when he’s not wearing anything at all.
Huh? Okay, her mind had to get out of the gutter and stop talking to her as if she were a sex addict.
“After a couple of years, my boss realized that people liked my ideas and visions, so he let me take part in special, less residential projects. We designed hotels and office buildings, six-figure contracts that helped my boss keep up his lavish lifestyle and me pay the rent of a city center apartment.”
“So you were a city boy at some point,” Charli teased. He chuckled, and the unexpected kiss on the top of her head gave her the fuzzies.
“I played the part, but it never felt natural. I missed Spring, and I quickly realized I liked getting my hands dirty better than being stuck in an air-conditioned office all day. You may have noticed I prefer jeans and sweatshirts to suits and ties.”
“I did.” And she’d also discovered an unexpected appreciation for tool belts. She all but drooled whenever he was wearing one. She’d even been tempted to ask him to wear it in the bedroom—a tool belt and nothing else. Yet another thing she would never have imagined thinking.
“Anyway, to cut the story short, we took on a big project and my boss asked me to supervise it. I was determined to prove my worth, so that my boss as well as my girlfriend, who also happened to be my boss’s daughter, would stop saying I wasn’t ambitious enough, that I should have bigger goals and aim higher. I gave my all. But it all came crashing down on my head.”
Charli sat up to look at him. A frown wrinkled his forehead and he looked lost in the memories. Her hand went up and she cupped his scruffy cheek. His eyes met hers and he smiled.
“During an inspection, I noticed something wasn’t right. The materials that were being used weren’t the ones we’d included in our initial quote—the ones I’d asked the purchasing assistant to order. So I went to talk to my boss, and he said he’d approved the new order. Using those materials would help us save money and therefore maximize the profits.” He pulled her into him as he sat up straighter. “I told him it wasn’t safe, that the materials he’d ordered weren’t good enough for the kind of project we were working on, but he just waved me off. He said if I didn’t like the way he worked, I was free to leave. Two weeks later, one of the beams snapped in two, and a worker died.”
Charli gasped. “Oh, no.”
He closed his eyes and leaned his head on the backrest. “And since the supervisor’s name on the papers was mine, I was the one who got questioned first. The site was closed while they carried out an investigation. I was considered responsible for the accident, even though I told them the materials used weren’t the ones I’d asked to order. But I was the supervisor, so it didn’t take them long to charge me with negligent manslaughter.”
“That’s not fair! It wasn’t your fault.” Charli sat up straighter, pulling back from his hug. “Didn’t your boss tell them so?”
“My boss denied any involvement in the project and turned his back on me. He couldn’t let, in his words, ‘a small accident pull him and his company down.’ So he left me on my own.”
“What happened, then? Did they uncover the truth?”
“Scott’s an attorney so he knew a good legal office in Portland. There was a long, tough trial, and eventually I was deemed innocent, but was charged with a fine for not stopping the works when I found out it wasn’t safe. I had just barely finished paying off my college loan, so my parents paid for all the legal expenses, including the fine—which basically left them nearly broke.”
“And what about your boss?”
He smiled wryly. “He could afford the best lawyers so he managed to get away with it. He was fined, yes, but that didn’t even put a dent in his finances. I quit and came home, worked for six months with a local contractor, and when he retired, I started my company and hoped my town would support me.”
“And they did.”
He nodded. “Perks of small-town life.”
“You look after your own, I know, I know.” She rolled her eyes even as she smiled.
He hugged her and pulled her close to him again. His lips found that sensitive spot behind her ear, and she shivered.
“And deep down you love it,” he said against her neck.
Maybe she was starting to, but she wouldn’t admit it to him. She was having a better time than she’d thought she would, although it might be because of the handsome man on the couch with her.
All too soon he pulled back, and she nearly let out a whimper of disappointment. He stared at her with his soul-melting eyes, and if she hadn’t been sitting, she would have hit her butt on the floor.
“I’m the reason why my parents have to sell their house. Because I still haven’t been able to pay them back, so now they can’t afford to renovate the house—even though I told them I’ll do it for free.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said, feeling his pain as if it was her own. “They did it because they love you, because you mean more to them than a house.”
“I know but—”
“Stop the pity party.” She smiled as she put a finger
to his lips. “It’s not sexy.”
He chuckled and wrapped both arms around her, hoisting her onto his lap. His lips curled in a grin.
“Is this sexy?” he asked, leaning in to kiss her neck. His lips followed a path up to her ear, and she couldn’t hold back the shiver that shook her body. Damn him.
“Uh-huh,” was all she managed to say when his lips captured her lobe.
“Good. ’Cause I’m done with the pity party now.” He pulled back and stared at her. Heat replaced the cloud of pain that had been there only minutes before, and it lit her up. His lips found hers and everything else was forgotten, as she once again lost herself in the moment. She had a feeling leaving him behind wouldn’t be as easy as she’d thought—but now wasn’t the time for thinking.
Chapter 19
Charli sat on the end of the pier after her morning walk on the beach, dangling her legs like a little girl. Seagulls squawked as they floated above her, some of them taking sudden plunges when they spotted a fish in the dark waters. A salty breeze tickled her skin and a sense of peace pervaded her with each inhale. She loved the early-morning quiet of the town. She would’ve never believed she could actually like small-town life, and now here she was, sitting on a pier with the ocean wind lapping at her face, feeling there was no other place she’d rather be.
She was itching for a job, though, and the fact that she hadn’t received a single reply from the companies she’d contacted made her feel like a failure. She really wanted to work and keep herself busy. Organizing the festival had been fun but she doubted there would be any other major events the townspeople would need help with, and she couldn’t see herself doing anything else.
But at the same time, the thought of leaving the town made her stomach churn. She had started to like the laid-back atmosphere, the camaraderie, and the way they’d made her feel welcome and pulled her into their circle, even though she was an outsider.
Her morning jogs, or rather walks, never failed to put her in a happy mood—and maybe the chocolate muffin she ate afterward helped, too.
And then there was Kean.
She hadn’t meant to get used to having him around. She’d told herself she could keep feelings out of it all and simply enjoy their naked times together. She’d thought she could do it. Then somewhere along the way he’d climbed over the wall and become a part of her everyday life. And, holy guacamole, the thought of walking away now made her feel lost. But there was no way she could ever stay here, and he wasn’t going to leave the town either, that was for certain. And why did it matter, anyway? It wasn’t as if she were in love with him. It was just sex. And it was fun while it lasted, but as soon as she found a job she’d move on with her life, and he’d be just a nice memory.
She’d purposely stayed away from him these past two nights, finding some kind of lame excuses she was sure he hadn’t bought. But she’d realized she had started craving his company, yearning to see him, kiss him, hear his laughter—she’d started needing him. And that was something she couldn’t afford, if she had any hope of achieving her career goals before she turned thirty. So she’d prescribed herself a detox cure that involved no Kean, either dressed or naked, until she was sure she could go back to considering this thing between them just sex.
She stood up and stretched her arms over her head, just as a sailboat passed by as it approached the harbor. A little boy with a bright orange fisherman hat, who could be slightly older than Sophie, waved at her from the stem of the boat—or was it the stern? She’d never learned the difference. She waved back, smiling brightly as the boy gave her a smile that was missing a front tooth.
Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she had yet to have her daily muffin from Spring Delights. And she needed one today, maybe even two. Too much thinking had made her ravenous, and not spending the night at Kean’s had put her in a cranky mood. She rolled her eyes and set off toward the town center at a brisk pace, leaving the marina behind.
“Hi, Charli.” Someone greeted her from across the street. She shaded her eyes with her hand and squinted.
“Good morning, Candice.” She smiled, waving back at the librarian, who was also Jared’s mother.
“Hello, there.” Shelly, the former librarian who didn’t seem to know the meaning of the word retirement, waved at her as she walked out of the library, probably to go buy some hot drinks and treats for Candice and herself. It was funny, but whenever she saw the two women together she saw Ellie and herself in thirty years.
She walked on toward her destination, greeting more people as they walked in and out of shops. What had once annoyed her was now something that made her feel happy, like she was someone, not just a face. Like she mattered. Maybe living in a small town did have its perks. But she needed a job, and this town couldn’t provide the kind of career she was after.
“Hey, Charli.”
She spun around at the sound of Lauren’s voice. She was dressed in her usual yoga attire and was most likely just about to start a class.
“Want to join us? We’re starting Pilates in fifteen minutes.”
It wasn’t exactly how she had planned to spend her morning, but since she was already wearing sports clothes and she was feeling restless while she waited for a reply from one of the companies she had contacted, she reckoned it might help her keep her mind off the worry of not finding a job.
And off the thought of how much she’d missed waking up snuggled against Kean’s warm body these last two days.
“I need a muffin first,” she said, pointing her thumb over her shoulder toward the bakery. “I’ll wolf it down and be ready for the class. Save a mat for me.”
Lauren smiled and nodded, then walked through the green door of the building that housed the office of the town newspaper on the ground floor and her studio on the first floor. Ever since Charli had agreed to stay in Spring Harbor until she found a job, Ellie had convinced her she should be an integral part of the community, so she’d been attending book club meetings and yoga classes on and off. At first it had been just so that Ellie would stop annoying her, but within a few weeks she’d actually started enjoying Lauren’s classes. Kean had been teasing her about it, saying she should ask Lauren to teach her some special positions they could use in the bedroom. She remembered swatting him and calling him a perv, just before his lips had captured hers and she’d forgotten why she was supposed to be mad at him.
Why was she thinking of Kean now? And just before walking into his mother’s bakery? Yes, his family—as well as the whole town, obviously—knew about them now, but that didn’t mean she was going to look his mother in the eye while remembering the romps she’d had with the woman’s son. And she was supposed to be on a detox program, so no more Kean-related thoughts for today. Or at least until she was back at the cottage where nobody would notice her zoning out, lost in thoughts of the handsome contractor and how much she missed him.
* * *
“I’ve got an interview!”
Kean staggered as Charli launched herself at him as soon as he opened the door. He caught her in his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. The way she liked to wrap herself around him like a monkey never failed to set his body on fire. The level of intimacy they had reached in such a short time gave him hope that she would eventually change her mind and stay in Spring. With him.
“Hey, that’s great,” he said, squeezing her. She slid back down to her feet and looked up at him, the smile on her face as bright as the sun. “Come in. I was just about to grill burgers. You can tell me everything about it while I cook.”
After the lunch at his parents’, she’d been avoiding him for nearly three days, coming up with lame excuses he hadn’t believed for a minute. Knowing how scared she was of getting too serious with him, he’d preferred to let it go and give her the space and time she needed.
She followed him out onto the back patio where the barbecue was. She sat on one of the wicker chairs and kicked her shoes off, pulled up her legs and hugged her knees. He no long
er needed to tell her to make herself at home, and the knowledge she felt so comfortable around him now, as opposed to the stuck-up woman he’d first met, warmed his heart.
“Are you going to tell me about it?”
She smiled. “You know I sent my résumé to quite a few companies lately. But I really only wanted two of them to reply. And guess what?”
He looked over his shoulder when she paused. Her smile grew broader.
“They both did!” She kicked her feet in the air and squealed like a kid. His first instinct was to forget about the burgers, pull her out of that chair, and kiss her senseless. He reined in his emotions, though, knowing now was not the time to drag her into his bedroom. He didn’t know why she had this crazy effect on him. Nobody had ever turned him on around the clock the way she did. It was insane.
“I guess this calls for a toast, then. There’s a bottle of white wine in the fridge. Why don’t you pull it out and grab a couple of glasses?”
She nodded and shot out of the chair, padding barefoot into the kitchen. He smiled. This was what he’d longed for. A quiet night in with a woman he was crazy about, dinner, a movie, and cuddles. Nothing could ever beat that. No fancy city restaurants or hotel rooms. Knowing there was someone waiting for him at home after a long day, someone who’d snuggle up next to him on the couch, was all he’d ever wanted. He’d never had big, fancy goals in life. A good job that would allow him to support a family, a loving wife, a bunch of kids. Some people might think it was dull, but he really didn’t care about having bigger goals. Wanting a simple life wasn’t a crime, was it?
“Here comes the wine.” Charli sing-songed as she waltzed back out onto the porch.
Kean cocked his head to the side. “Have you been drinking?”
She giggled and shook her head as she offered him a glass. When he took it, her arm snaked around his waist, and she rested her cheek on his shoulder.
Man, this feels good.
Unplanned Love: A Love In Spring novel Page 21
