Tangled Love on Pelican Point (Island County Series Book 3)

by Karice Bolton

  “First time?” I smiled.

  “Of many.” He smiled, picking up my panties and working them up my legs.

  “I will never look at Natty’s floral shop the same,” I joked.

  Anthony laughed and helped me off the table, but before I could continue to dress, he slowly brought me into him.

  “Sophie, you tasted even sweeter than I imagined.”

  “You thought about it?”

  “I dreamed about it.” His eyes darkened, and I saw the charge again.

  “I’m falling for you, Anthony.” I let out a deep breath. “And it scares the hell out of me.”

  He nodded, his eyes staying on mine.

  “It’s going to be complicated.”

  “And it may not work,” I added.

  “Or it might,” he said, his thumb sliding along my still-naked belly.

  “If you don’t want to stay on Fireweed and I don’t want to go to LA, we will have to try the long-distance thing.”

  We walked out of the back room, and he picked up his shirt and slid it over his head while I did the same with mine.

  “Because I’m not giving that up easily.”

  Anthony’s laughter filled the room—and my heart—completely.

  “I’m buying us a plan for Facetime,” Anthony said, slipping his hand over mine. “Then we can see each other and talk whenever.”

  “So I can take you into the grocery store with me?”

  “Among other things.” He grinned. “You know, we could start practicing while I’m still here. See if it’s something we can pull off.”

  “Practicing?” I laughed. “How do you propose we do that?”

  “I’ve got some ideas.”

  “Aren’t you worried about things getting leaked?”

  “Not as long as you put a passcode on your phone,” he teased. “That always helps.”

  We walked through the shop, and I locked the door behind us, completely dazed by the fact that I’d just let Anthony Hill send me into another orbit and lived to tell about it.

  I was standing in the bathroom at my apartment, trying to make my makeup look devilish, instructions from Anthony, and I had no idea how to accomplish that. I’d been at my dad’s all week working on several Etsy orders that had come in and a couple of custom signs for Natalie’s shop. I’d pretty much taken over my dad’s basement, and the pool table that still anchored the room provided the perfect place to spread out.

  But by the time night rolled around, it was impossible not to fantasize about Anthony. I’d nearly worn out the memory from several nights before, his hands tracing along my body and his mouth moving down my stomach, but I couldn’t get enough. And I fully recognized I might not get any more. Our texts between one another had been tame in comparison.

  I’d managed to have all my shifts covered watching over my dad without Mary, but she still insisted on coming over in the evenings to help him with therapy. Tonight was no exception. In fact, she brought an overnight bag with her and told me she didn’t want me worrying about trying to make it home early.

  So here I stood in black leggings and a black fitted shirt, my brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and thick black eyeliner outlining my brown eyes, with no clue whether I looked devilish.

  My doorbell rang, and I hurried to the door, excited to see Anthony and the costumes he had picked out for us. I opened the door quickly, and there he stood, dressed as a hard-boiled egg. My jaw dropped as I tried to take him in.

  “Trick or Treat.” He laughed and held out his arms.

  “I don’t get it. You look like an egg. How are these matching costumes?”

  He walked into the apartment, holding a bag, and closed the door behind him.

  “I never said matching. I said complimentary.”

  My brow rose in confusion as he pulled out red devil horns and a tail.

  “Get it now?” he asked, his smile growing.

  I shook my head, and he slid the horns onto my head and spun me around to clip my tail on.

  “Still nothing?” He laughed and shook his head.

  “Afraid not,” I told him.

  Anthony grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the mirror that hung on the wall by my front door. He anchored me next to him, and we both stared at each other in the mirror.

  “Think about it . . .” he said, his voice full of mischief.

  I looked at my devil costume and his egg costume and tried really hard to put the connection together. It wasn’t until he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and squeezed me that it came together.

  I started to laugh.

  “Deviled egg? Really? Has this been the plan the entire time?”

  “Sure has.” He stood, beaming, next to me.

  “You have to be the sexiest hard-boiled egg I’ve ever seen.” I turned to face him and grinned. “I guess you can take the guy off the island, but you can’t take the island out of the guy.”

  “You approve?” he asked.

  “Absolutely.” I stood on my toes and gave him a quick kiss, but he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in for a longer one. The feelings washing over me were nothing less than perfect. The sweetness of his lips and the excitement pulsing between us made me wish we were staying in.

  He pulled away from me and glanced at the bag.

  “I’ve got something for you.”

  “A Halloween present? Shoot. I didn’t get you anything.”

  He walked over to the bag, pulled out a small box, and handed it to me.

  “What’s this?” I asked, looking at the iPhone box. “You didn’t—”

  “The phone you have doesn’t support Facetime, so I solved the problem.”

  “This is too much.”

  “If we’re going to make this long-distance thing work, we’re going to need all the tools we can get our hands on. Now open it up. I got your phone number transferred, and—”

  “Wait. What?”

  “I put you on my plan and got you out of your contract. It makes sense. I get a discount.”

  I shook my head. “Anthony, you’ve done way too much for me already. I can’t accept this.”

  “You have no choice.”

  “I always have a choice.”

  His smile grew and he chuckled. “Yes, you do. But if you don’t take this gift, I’ll take it as a sign that you don’t want to try this thing out between us.”

  “Well, I guess I can’t have you thinking that,” I said, opening the box. “Wow. This totally beats my other phone. “Are you sure about this?” I asked again.

  “Completely. Now, let’s get going.” He gave me a quick kiss, but I found myself staying in his arms a few seconds longer. “You’ll have to tell me how to get to Nick’s house. I’ve never been there.”

  “Totally.” I slid my new phone into my purse and followed Anthony out the door.

  It had been a long time since I felt normal. I was either busy worrying about my dad or about money, but in this little window, I felt pretty close. Not because the worries had gone away, but because my view of the world had opened up a little. I wasn’t in the same cycle, repeating the same pattern.

  I climbed into the car and glanced at Anthony. Would we be able to make this work beyond Fireweed?

  I groaned internally and shoved the thoughts aside. Just enjoy the night.

  “Where to?” he asked, pulling out of the parking lot.

  “Follow this road until you get to the lavender farm and then take a right.”

  “Easy enough. So you know the sign you have on Etsy that says, Without the Shadows of Night, Stars Would Never Sparkle?”

  “Yeah. What about it?” I asked, resting my head on the seat.

  “How long does it take to make each sign?”

  “If I’ve got all my supplies ready, I can crank out five in an hour. Why?”

  “What’s your work schedule like this week?” he asked, ignoring my question.

  “I’ve got four days at Island Bluff and six days at the Loxxy.”


  He pressed his lips together and tapped the wheel.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Could you show me how to do it?”

  “Aren’t you supposed to be writing music?” My brow arched.

  “Since the other night, I’ve written three songs.” A smirk rested on his lips, and I smacked him playfully and flushed, wondering what all he wrote in those songs.

  “I sent them to the band, and they’ve been tweaking them here and there, but you’ve been good for my imagination.”

  “Should I be worried?” I asked, my palms getting all sweaty.

  He snuck a look at me and laughed. “I don’t write those kinds of songs.”

  “Phew.”

  “Well, it sounds like you’ve got a busy week.”

  “I do. But that’s how it usually works.”

  We came up to the lavender farm and he took a right. “Now where?”

  “Drive on this road for about a mile, and then take a left down the driveway that has a bench by the road. He made it for the kids who have to wait for the bus.”

  “Nick’s a good guy, isn’t he?”

  “He really is. A heart of gold with bad taste in women.”

  Anthony snickered and kept his eyes on the road ahead.

  “So why were you asking about the signs?” I asked.

  “Just trying to gauge things. There’s going to come a point when you’ll need to make a leap.”

  “No leaps will be made while bills need to be paid.”

  “But sometimes, the biggest rewards come from the biggest risks.”

  “That sounds good, coming from someone who doesn’t have to worry about the pesky necessities of life.” I rearranged my tail to the side.

  “I know.” He nodded and spotted the bench, but cars were already lining the gravel driveway and street. “I just see so much potential and don’t want it to go to waste.”

  “Thank you,” I said, wanting to change the subject. “Looks like we should take any spot we can get. I had no idea he invited the world.”

  Anthony pulled over onto the gravel shoulder about ten cars away from Nick’s driveway and parked.

  “Let me help you out. It looks like there’s a ditch right outside your door.”

  “I can just crawl across the front and come out on your side.”

  “Sure. You think you can make it?”

  “I’m very flexible.”

  “You’re also the queen of teasing.”

  I chuckled, my arms and legs sprawling across the shifter as he reached in and pulled me the rest of the way out.

  “Is that you, Sophie?”

  I looked around the street, trying to find the source. It sounded like Jewels.

  “It is.”

  Anthony clutched my hand in his as I spotted Jewels walking down the driveway. I wouldn’t have recognized her in a million years if it hadn’t been for her voice. She was wearing a blonde wig and strutted our way.

  “You totally look like Madonna,” I told her.

  “You think?” she asked, adjusting her bustier and doing a mini spin. “I was worried people wouldn’t know.”

  “No chance of that happening,” I assured her, and she grinned. I knew she’d just gone through a bitter divorce and had once again, found her way back to Fireweed—another of the countless examples proving why I should never leave Fireweed in the first place.

  Her gaze darted between Anthony and me and she grinned.

  “Wow. Deviled egg. That’s totally your doing, wasn’t it, Sophie?” She chuckled.

  “Believe it or not, it was his idea.” I pointed at Anthony and he nodded.

  “Never would’ve guessed. Well, huh,” Jewels said. “I’m Jewels Jennings, Natty’s sister.” She stuck out her bangled wrist and shook Anthony’s hand.

  “She works at the library,” I informed him.

  “Yes, I do.” A wry grin spread across her face and I flushed. “You get to see a lot of interesting things working there.”

  “I bet. Okay, we’d better go say hi to the host.”

  “I’ll be inside in a second. I have to grab something out of my purse.”

  “Okay.” I gave a quick wave and Anthony led me down the driveway.

  “Should she really leave her purse in the car?” he whispered.

  “Probably not, but it’s safer here than in LA.”

  Nick had gone all out. His porch was draped in cobwebs and several Jack-O-Lanterns lined his steps. A mummy waved at us as we walked by, and a tarantula dropped in front of us as we opened the front door.

  “Well done,” I said, holding onto Anthony tighter.

  “Sophie’s here,” Tori hollered to the group behind her, who held up their wine and beer glasses.

  “The party can begin,” Nick said, coming down the stairs in a lumberjack outfit, axe and all.

  He gave me a quick hug and shook Anthony’s hand before analyzing our outfits.

  “Deviled egg?” Nick laughed and shook his head.

  “Why does everyone else see it immediately?” I asked.

  Natty and Cole wandered over, hand in hand, dressed as Raggedy Ann and Andy—red yarn for hair included—and I can say that this was the first time I saw a Hill brother look anything but attractive.

  Natty gave me a quick hug and then hugged Anthony. Cole narrowed his eyes on his brother, studying him for a few seconds before turning to face me.

  “So where did you pick him up at?” Cole asked.

  “He just showed up on my doorstep.” I shrugged.

  “Looks like some planning went into this,” Cole said, attempting to hide his smile. “Deviled egg.”

  I rolled my eyes, and Natty looped her arm through mine. “Let’s give them a second to sort out their issues.”

  But before she could haul me away, Anthony bent down and swiped a kiss along my cheek. “I’ll be right over.”

  “Take your time,” I said, smiling as Natty pulled me into the crowd.

  I spotted Gabby and waved. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw her costume. She had a mustache, a trucker’s hat with an attached mullet, a can in one hand, and her other hand on her hip, with a men’s white tank top exposing her pregnant belly. She owned a bakery and coffee shop on the island next to ours. I’d met her off and on through Natty. She was married to Jason, who was an insanely attractive bike builder. She was standing next to her best friend, Brandy.

  “So as you know, Brandy’s getting married, and I’ve been working with her on her wedding.”

  “I bet that’s fun.”

  “A dream, actually. She’s the sweetest bride in the history of brides. Anyway, she saw some of your signs on your Etsy shop, and she wanted to incorporate them into her ceremony and reception. She also wanted to order a personalized one for her and Aaron for their home.”

  A surge of excitement ran through my body. “Are you serious?”

  “Totally. We’ve come up with seven full-size signs to direct guests around the chateau.”

  “That is so cool.” I nearly squealed, squeezing Natty.

  “Thank you.”

  “I told you we were a match made in heaven.” She led me over to Brandy, and I gave her and Gabby a quick hug.

  “You can call me Gabe,” Gabby teased.

  “You’re the cutest Gabe I’ve ever seen,” I said as she patted her belly. It wasn’t until I got closer that I realized she had also glued chest hair on, and it was poking out the top of her tank.

  “Don’t start hitting on me.” She laughed. “My wife will drop you.” Gabby pointed toward the kitchen, and my jaw dropped. I would never be able to look at Jason the same way again. He wore a sundress, and long hair cascaded down his shoulders. My eyes darted to his motorcycle boots and hairy legs, and I giggled.

  “He’s not very happy with me,” Gabby whispered. “He lost a bet, and I don’t think he expected me to make him go through with it.”

  “Well, this image will forever be ingrained.”

  Brandy was dressed
as Hermione from Harry Potter and clapped her hands appropriately to get our attention, but she blushed the moment we looked at her.

  “I love your sayings. I love everything about your shop. I’m so happy Natty told me about you,” Brandy gushed.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’m beyond thrilled you liked what you saw. It means a lot. I’ve just started this side business, and it’s been a lot of fun so far.”

  “Jason and I want to get a sign for Katie’s room,” Gabby added, rubbing her bare belly where the tank top had risen. “And for our little one when the time comes.”

  “Wow. Thank you.” I smiled, feeling like I was on another planet. Maybe this really was a possibility.

  “Oh, shoot. It looks like Jasinda needs my help,” Gabby groaned.

  My eyes shot over to Jason, who somehow got his wig stuck in the refrigerator. The men just laughed while Jason stood still and Gabby and Brandy hurried over.

  “So how long has Anthony been back?” Natty asked, our eyes landing on Cole and Anthony still discussing things by the front door.

  I shrugged. “Not exactly sure.”

  Natty narrowed her eyes at me.

  “Okay, a while. Almost since the moment we all declared him missing.”

  “Are you serious?”

  I nodded, feeling my stomach tighten. “But it’s all been one big misunderstanding, fueled by speculation, as far as I can tell.”

  “On Cole’s end?” Natty’s brow rose.

  I shook my head. “Both.”

  She let out a deep breath and hugged me. “You’re falling for him.”

  “I am. I tried not to, but he’s just . . . ”

  “Irresistible?” Natty supplied.

  “Exactly.”

  “There’s something about these Hill boys.”

  “I just wish Anthony would open up to me. I feel like my life has been an open book, and he’s certainly written a different ending for me, but I’m worried about never being let into his story. I want to know what made him the way he is, and it’s just not happening.”

  Natty nodded and gave me a squeeze.

  “It’ll happen.”

  “And what if it doesn’t?”