by Ginny Baird
He cocked his chin. “Or maybe one of those glossy news magazines you see at the grocery store. You know, the ones that profile celebrities.” His blue eyes twinkled. “Hey. Maybe you’ll be in one someday?”
She couldn’t help but be thrilled by the idea. Her face on the cover of some widely circulated periodical. As long as the coverage was flattering. “Wouldn’t that be amazing?”
He cocked his chin, studying her, and her heart skipped a beat. “Yeah, it would. For you. For me, though? Not my thing.”
She laughed. “Publicity you mean?”
“Anything like that. Staying out of the limelight. That’s what works for me. The thought of going on a TV show in front of a camera?” He shuddered. “Fills me with dread.” He walked over and handed her the package. “Here. This is for you.”
“Me? But, wait. I didn’t order anything.”
“I know.” His blue eyes twinkled. “Because I ordered it for you.”
Her face heated beneath his stare. “Aww, Derrick. Thank you. You shouldn’t have.” But she was secretly happy that he had. Meredith loved being surprised by gifts, and that didn’t happen often. “Should I open it now?”
He chuckled at her excited look. “I think you’d better.”
She unwrapped the outer packaging, unveiling a shoebox. Interesting. What did Derrick know about women’s shoes?
A pair of navy blue slip-on-style, flat-soled sneakers were tucked inside. They were simple but attractive and looked functional, too. She looked up at Derrick and grinned. “Shoes?”
“With rubber soles.”
It was a quirky but thoughtful gift. “How sweet! But…when am I supposed to wear them?”
“What’s wrong with now?”
Nothing, she supposed. She slipped into them, showing them off on her feet.
“They suit you.”
She peered at them. “They seem very Blue Hill.”
“They are very Blue Hill.”
She grinned, thinking of the baby shower. “I probably could have used these yesterday.”
“And the day that you trudged out to my workshop through all that mud.”
“Yeah.” Her skin grew hot. “But how did you know my size?”
He glanced at the pile of shoes in the corner beside her large suitcase. “Easy detective work.” He shrugged. “And anyway, someone might want to take you out on a boat someday. You definitely can’t go boating in those heels you wear.”
Her heart pounded. Against her better instincts, she wanted that someone to be him. Meredith warned herself not to jump to conclusions. Like the ones that painted visions of them on a romantic journey in that rowboat he kept moored outside. “That would be nice.”
He held her gaze, seemingly lost in a daydream of his own. “Yeah,” he said. “It would.”
“Maybe we can go out sometime?” she blurted before she could stop herself. “In one of your boats before I leave?”
A slow grin spread across his face. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
Meredith’s heart sighed, then she told herself not to make too much of his offer. He was probably just being nice. She tried hard not to let disappointment get the better of her as Derrick examined the cradle.
“Okay,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s get this baby wrapped. I told William we’d bring my gift by after lunch. I mean, if you’d like to come along, too, that would be great.”
She envisioned Sofia’s and William’s happy faces. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Awesome.” He broke the seal on the wrapping paper and removed it from its cellophane covering. Next he handed an end of it to her while holding the roll. “Hmm. Where to start?”
“Well, we…” She moved to the far side of the cradle holding her end of the wrapping paper and more of it unraveled. Then she tried lowering it down over the cradle’s side. “Um.”
“It’s a big job.”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe if we go around it?” he suggested. “You stay put and I’ll come around to where you are.” She did and he handed her a pair of scissors. “Can you cut a straight line?”
“Of course,” she said with confidence, but then she didn’t. Her line was all zig-zaggy, veering off center. She pursed her lips together but he chuckled.
“That’s okay,” he said. “We’ll tuck that part under.” He picked up the tape and she folded over the uneven part, making a straight edge. Derrick pulled out a long piece of tape and leaned in while she held both parts of the wrapping paper together. “Don’t move,” he cautioned. He stood so close she could breathe him in.
He looked up and met her eyes, and her legs trembled. Like they might actually give way or something. Even in these practical shoes. “I won’t.”
“Good.” He fastened the tape and lifted his hands. “Ta-da! Phase One, done!” But the moment they released the wrapping paper, it slid to the ground, circling around the bottom portion of the cradle.
His eyebrows shot up. “That works.”
Meredith giggled. “We can always add a new piece for the upper section.”
“Excellent idea. We’ll cover the top after that, then lay the cradle on its side and do the bottom.”
“We might want to take the sheets and mattress out and wrap them separately in that case. So they don’t jumble around.”
“You’re very good at organizing.” His eyes twinkled. “Do you run a TV show or something?”
“Yeah, I’ve learned to think on my feet.” She stared at her new shoes. “Thanks again for the shoes. They were definitely unexpected.”
The air hung heavy as he gazed into her eyes. “So were you.”
That sounded more than friendly to her. That sounded interested. And romantic.
And ohhh nooo… She worried, worried, worried that he was falling for her, too.
In the next instant, she hoped that he was. She couldn’t help but wonder what might have happened if there’d been no Olivia in the picture. If it had only been him and her.
His cell dinged, shattering the moment, and he pulled it from his pocket.
His face fell and she guessed it was bad news. “Uh-oh.”
“Who is it?”
“Olivia,” he said, looking up. “And boy, is she ticked.”
“What?”
“She looked you up and found all the stories about our engagement, including the video clip the press took at my cabin.”
Meredith gasped. “Oh no.”
“Oh yeah.”
“What are you going to do?”
He quickly texted Olivia back. “I’m saying I can explain everything and not to panic.” He shook his head. “But five will get you ten, she will.”
A rapid string of texts came back at him and he silenced his phone.
“Sounds like she’s already there.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “That’s why I said I’ll drop by later after lunch.”
“After you deliver the cradle and not before?”
“William and Sofia are already expecting us at two and you and I have to eat sometime.”
She knew he was right, but Meredith also suspected he was stalling. His phone kept buzzing in his pocket. Probably Olivia going ballistic. Maybe if Meredith was in his shoes instead of in the brand new ones he’d bought her, she’d be stalling a bit, too.
Chapter Twenty-Four
An hour later, they shared a happy moment in Grandmother Margaret and Grandpa Chad’s living room. Derrick delivered his cradle and Sofia and William’s response was exactly what Meredith thought it would be. William even got a little misty-eyed.
“It’s wonderful,” Sofia said, holding the baby. “Julia still sleeps in our room, but we’ve been using the portable crib. This cradle’s so much better.”
Grandmother Margaret nodded. “It certainly looks like it
’s been made with love.”
It was just the seven of them in the living room. Sofia, Julia, William, the grandparents, and Meredith and Derrick. Hope and Brent had gone into town to run errands, and Sally was out for a run. Titi Clarita had returned to the guesthouse for a rest after lunch. According to the others, Olivia was still there, too. She supposedly had a work knot to untangle that had prevented her from joining the rest of them for breakfast. She’d evidently still been “untangling” at lunch.
“I think I’ll brew myself a pot of tea,” Grandmother Margaret said. “Would anyone like some? We still have plenty of treats leftover from the shower yesterday.”
“I’ll take a spot,” Grandpa Chad said.
“Me, too.” Sofia smiled. “If you’ve got herbal.”
“We have peppermint and chamomile in the pantry,” Margaret told her.
“Need any help?” Meredith motioned with her chin for Derrick to skedaddle. This was his perfect opportunity to slip away and have his one-on-one with Olivia.
He nodded, but honestly didn’t look like he wanted to separate from the safety of the others. He shifted on his feet and Meredith sent him a second pointed look. It was now or never really, and Derrick knew what he needed to do.
“I think I’ll go and check on Olivia,” he said after a lull, “and that work knot of hers.”
…
As Derrick walked out the back door, he bumped into Sally jogging up to the porch in athletic clothes, a ponytail, and a headband.
“Did I miss it?” she asked, before pouting. “No. I wanted to see the big surprise.”
“The cradle’s in the living room by the piano if you want to take a peek.”
“Can’t wait. I’m sure it’s gorgeous.”
Sally had always been so supportive of him, even though they were very different. Derrick couldn’t imagine going to law school any more than Sally could envision building a boat. She claimed she wasn’t creative and couldn’t even cook. Those party games had taken ingenuity, though, so his baby sis did have skills beyond practicing family law.
She put her hand up to her mouth and whispered. “I think something’s up with Olivia.”
“Like what?” he asked, wanting to know how much the rest of them had guessed.
“Nobody’s sure.” She rolled her eyes toward the guesthouse. “But we think it might have to do with Meredith.” She leaned closer. “You two were looking awfully chummy after the diaper-changing game yesterday.”
He’d hoped no one had noticed that little moment. “We were just happy we won.”
“I know that,” Sally said. “But does Olivia?”
She wouldn’t now. Especially after what she’d found online.
Derrick strode toward the rose garden, his eye on the path beyond it.
You’ve got this, he told himself again and again—until his stomach felt uneasy.
What was the deal with him?
But he knew the answer before he’d finished asking the question.
Meredith.
He was glad she’d liked the sneakers he’d bought her. He’d found her reaction charming. Then she’d asked him to take her out on the water—just the two of them if the intention of her question was what he believed. He’d spent the drive to his grandparents’ telling himself taking her out would be a nice thank-you for her matchmaking efforts on his behalf. Nothing more, nothing less. Even if he’d not been dead set on keeping up his end of their plan, she’d pretty much assured him that there’d never be anything more between them last night during their drive home. He’d been so disappointed, he’d headed straight to his room and tried to clear his mind with a little ESPN.
He’d ended up thinking about her instead.
Whatever had happened—or had almost happened—last summer was history now. He needed to man up and go in there and talk to Olivia now.
He reached the guesthouse and lightly knocked at the door, thinking Clarita was napping.
“Come in,” she said brightly, proving she wasn’t. He found her reading wildlife magazines on the sofa, which really didn’t seem like her jam. “I needed a break from the ghost stories,” she said, and for the first time Derrick noticed how Meredith slightly favored her.
It was something around the eyes and how they crinkled when she smiled. Meredith had a beautiful smile and he guessed it would look just as pretty when she was in her forties like her youngish aunt, and even older.
He tried to imagine Meredith at his grandmother’s age, tending to a large brood who’d gathered for a holiday. She’d probably be a lot like Grandmother Margaret—bossy but loveable and completely dedicated to her family.
Clarita sent him a questioning look and he recalled why he was here.
“Olivia? Is she—?”
“Out in the gazebo,” Clarita said. “Working.”
…
“Olivia?”
She glanced over her shoulder seeming startled. “Derrick! Oh, hi.”
She quickly shut her laptop but not before he saw what she’d been doing: shopping for nail polish.
Irritation spread through him. “You blew my family off to buy nail polish? We all thought you were working.”
“It’s not just nail polish.” She raised her chin. “I’m getting other mani-pedi stuff, too.”
“What does that have to do with the Park Service? I’m struggling to imagine you doing park ranger things with a full set of nails.”
“Oh. Um.” Olivia bit her lip. “Nothing. But, actually, quite a lot.” She fussed with her hair. “Derrick, what are you doing here? I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Well, I’m sorry.” He pulled out a chair and sat beside her. “We have things to discuss. I don’t want this to be a repeat of yesteryear.”
She wore a bikini top and a sarong skirt and had obviously been in the hot tub. There was an empty drink glass beside it sporting a colorful paper umbrella, and the lid was flipped open, hot water churning.
“If you must know,” she said haughtily, “I was buying beauty products to soothe my jangled nerves.”
“This is about the story, isn’t it? The one about me and Meredith.”
“You said that you were friends, Derrick. Not engaged to be married.”
“I know. And—Olivia—you’ve got to believe me, because it’s true. That whole story on the internet is a fabrication.”
“Whose fabrication? Yours and Meredith’s? Why?”
“No, not ours. Well, not mine. Not her fault, either, really.”
“Somebody had to have started it.”
“If you have to blame someone,” he said, “blame Tanya from Talk Time.”
“Tanya Gibbs?” Olivia’s eyes widened. “OMG, I love her.”
Why didn’t that surprise him? “Join the club.”
Olivia raised her eyebrows. “What does Tanya have to do with any of this?”
“She had Meredith on her show to interview her, and somehow the interview got out of hand and I came into it.”
“Came into it how?”
“By…being mentioned as Mer’s possible boyfriend?”
“See!” she said as if she’d known something was up all along. Olivia bristled. “And I wish you wouldn’t call her ‘Mer.’ It reminds me of my uncle’s horse farm in Kentucky. That’s not an affiliation any woman would want to have. Trust me. It smells awful there.”
Derrick dragged a hand down his cheek, wondering if this was worth it.
“So, you’re not,” she said carefully, “involved with Meredith for real then?”
“No. The media got hold of the rumor and then it spread like wildfire. In certain circles, anyway.”
“So why didn’t you put a stop to it?”
“It all exploded so quickly there wasn’t time. Plus, she was up for this big promotion, a syndication deal for her show
—and now streaming—”
“Streaming? Ooh. That sounds exciting.”
“Yeah, and I didn’t want to blow it for her by creating another media storm on top of the existing one.”
Olivia thought on this. “So you were playing the gentleman?”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Olivia folded her arms in front of her and was quiet for a couple of minutes. Which was a thousand times better than the volume he’d been expecting.
After a beat, she finally said, “I can live with that. Assuming you end the charade soon.”
“We intend to.”
“When?”
“Just as soon as she gets word.”
“When will that be?”
“By Wednesday at the latest, but Mer’s thinking she’ll hear by Monday now.”
“Monday?” Her face brightened. “Oh! That’s good.”
Derrick was relieved she was being so understanding, and doubly glad she wasn’t shouting at him.
“Derrick,” she said, derailing his train of thought. “I’ve got something to tell you and it’s shocking.”
He stared at her and waited.
“I’m not really a park ranger.”
What? She’d made that up, but why? “But what about Acadia?”
“I was living there with Paul.”
“Who’s Paul?”
“The park ranger guy I told you about. Remember? He’s the one who got me my phone. We had a little relationship.”
“How little?”
“Four years.”
“Wow, Olivia.” His head reeled. His instincts had been dead-on, apparently. Of course she wasn’t a park ranger. Ordering mani-pedi stuff from the guest cottage. What else had she said that was a lie?
“Why are you grumbling?”
“I’m not”—he set his jaw—“grumbling.” Maybe.
“Yes! You! Are!” she said, each word getting louder.
His heart ached with disappointment. “Please, let’s not do this. Not here. Not now.”
“Sorry.” Her eyes watered, but she thankfully didn’t cry. He didn’t know if he could take that on top of the shouting.
“You should have told us about the park ranger thing.” He shook his head. “Right from the start.”
