Anthony looked over at me and smiled, obliterating every reservation I’d had.
But that was the problem. I knew that it took more than a relationship fueled on lust to go the distance, and I wasn’t sure he’d ever let me in.
“I heard someone’s dating a rock star,” Marcy teased, grabbing a stack of towels from the cart.
“Who told you that?” I asked, unable to hide my smile.
“More like, who hasn’t?” She walked back into the last room we were freshening up. No guests had stayed overnight in the room, but we still had to make sure it looked as good as the last time we’d left it. “So one of your fictional men became reality?”
I groaned. “You remember.”
She chuckled as I flipped on the vacuum to drown her out.
She fluffed the comforter and wandered into the bathroom while I slowly ran over the carpet, buying myself time and an alibi. Once I turned off the vacuum, I had the perfect excuse.
“So? Tell me everything,” Marcy said, excitement tingeing her words.
“Not much to tell.” I walked over to the window and shoved open the curtains so she wouldn’t see my face. “He’s been really sweet and a surprising friend, but I doubt there’s more to it than that. There’s a sensitive side to him that the tabloids failed to mention. He has helped me come up with ideas for my Etsy store, and I even get to stage his house when he puts it up for sale, which will be any day now.”
“You’ve managed to capture the attention of one of the hottest musicians on the planet, and it’s all about work?” Marcy wasn’t having it.
I turned from the widow and nodded. “Yep.”
“Well, they say a dummy is born every second, but I’m not one of them. Just make sure you invite me to the wedding.”
“Oh, my word. It’s not even like that. He’s leaving Fireweed soon and I’m not. He’d probably panic if he heard you say that.”
My phone chimed, and I stiffened.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Nothing. Just my phone.”
“That sounds like someone’s trying to Facetime you.”
“Nah,” I said, waving her out of the room. “All done for the day, and it’s even before check-in time.”
My phone chimed again.
“Yeah, definitely Facetime.”
“How in the world do you know what that sounds like?” I asked.
“I do it all the time with my sister at the house. You’d better answer it. Could be important.”
“Doubt it,” I assured her, but the chimes kept going off.
Marcy began pushing the cart, and I dug out my phone from my pocket to silence it, but instead, I accidentally answered it.
“Hey, gorgeous.” Anthony’s voice echoed into the hallway.
Marcy stopped pushing the cart and turned to look at me, and I flashed a feeble smile.
“Um, hey. I’m at the Loxxy. Can I call you back?”
He looked absolutely gorgeous coming across the screen, and my body tingled as his smile deepened. His dark hair was tousled, and it looked like he was in the master bedroom of his house.
“Totally. I just wanted to show you the master bath. The tile is all done. I think I’m finally ready to put this thing on the market, but I think we should try it out first.” My heart dropped and my cheeks reddened. The realization that he was really going to be leaving the island hit hard. I stared at the screen as he showed off the tile work in the huge shower and brought the camera back to him. “The guy did great work.”
“He really did,” I said, trying to sound excited for him. I flashed the camera around the hall and pointed the lens at the cart before returning it back to my face. “Well, here’s where I’m hanging out, but I’ve gotta go with Marcy. We got done a tad early and need to celebrate.”
“Okay. See ya later.” He kissed two of his fingers and pressed them on the screen, filling my heart with warmth.
“See ya.” I did the same, and he flashed a dopey grin before turning off the video.
Marcy was watching me.
“See? Purely business.”
“You know, we’ve had our bathroom remodeled at the house. And I can guarantee you, we never asked our contractor to try out the shower with us.” She giggled. “Yeah. I’m pretty certain we never did that.”
“I’m not the contractor,” I joked. “I’m the designer.”
“You start treating all your clients like that, and your business will soar.”
We both laughed as we walked toward the elevator and waited for it to open.
“I’ve got it bad, Marcy. And the worst part is that I know he’s leaving, and yet I still continue to let my heart miss him and my mind dream about him. I get excited when I see his number pop on the screen. I daydream about us doing absolutely nothing together, and all the while, reality is sitting on the edge, taunting me. He’s going to leave the island soon, and there really isn’t an us.”
“You can’t predict the future,” she said as the elevator chimed and she pushed in the cart.
I pushed the letter B to take us to the basement.
“But you can make pretty realistic assumptions based on fact. And the facts are that we come from two very different worlds.”
“Actually, that’s not true at all. You’ve already said he’s sweeter than the tabloids paint him to be. You both grew up here. You’re both the products of this island. You probably have more in common than you realize.”
The elevator opened into the basement, and I pushed the cart out. The industrial washing machines clunked along the far wall and the smell of bleach filled the air. Stacks of sheets and towels lined the shelves and baskets of soaps sat on the tables.
“Maybe. We have fun together.” I slid the cart to the storage room and came back out. I got a text that the other two housekeepers had three more rooms left on their floor. We were all ahead of schedule today. “But I just don’t want to set myself up for disappointment. I’ve never really been the relationship type.”
“And neither has he. So look at that. You already have something in common.” She chuckled, clocking out.
“I suppose I’ll take what I can get.” I slid my badge up to the machine to clock out and entered my PIN.
We both got back on the elevator, and Marcy hit the button for the lobby. “How’s your dad doing with everything? I heard Cindy moved out.”
“You did?”
“She was telling a sob story at the bar, and my husband heard it all. Mind you, she was saying all this with her arm draped over another man.”
“I’ve wondered what she’s been up to. We haven’t heard one thing from her since she left, and I haven’t wanted to bring it up to my dad because his therapy is going so well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can get rid of that walker in another month or two.”
“Really? That’s fabulous.”
“Mary has done wonders.”
“Mary’s been the one taking care of him?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Interesting.”
“Why’s that interesting?” I asked.
“No reason.”
“You’re the worst.”
“Well, you won’t tell me about your love affair with a rock star. How do you expect me to want to divulge what I know?”
“I promise there’s not much to tell.”
The doors opened into the lobby, and Marcy hopped off the carriage and greeted one of the guests as he passed by.
“See ya tomorrow,” she said. “Bright and early.”
“See ya.” I gave her a quick wave and walked over to the front desk. We’d had a couple issues I needed to document so our handymen could come in and do some touch-up painting from luggage marks and tighten a loose toilet seat.
Yeah. Anthony and I were from two different worlds.
As I scribbled down the notes, I felt the energy of the lobby change. Whispers softened and the air stilled.
And then he leaned over the counter.
“H
ey, I heard you had two hours off before you start your shift over at the restaurant.”
I looked up to see Anthony smiling with a beanie pulled down around his head.
“Who told you that?” I narrowed my eyes, closing the notebook.
“I have my sources. So would you be up for grabbing a bite to eat?”
I glanced around the lobby and noticed that all eyes were on us.
He had no privacy.
“You know? I’d like that very much.”
“Good, because I’ve got a little picnic planned for us over on Pelican Point.”
“Are you serious?”
“Does that seem like something I’d lie about?” he laughed, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me into him as we walked out of the lobby and into the brisk air. It was the third day of November, and not usually the time of year a person goes to Pelican Point, but I wasn’t going to say anything. I’d gladly freeze while getting to steal a few minutes with him.
We drove about ten minutes before he turned onto the road winding down to Pelican Point. He slid his hand over to mine as we drove deeper into the wooded area. The ride over had been quiet, which made me nervous.
“This was really nice of you,” I told him as he parked.
“Don’t thank me yet.” He pulled the keys out of the ignition and kissed me softly. My heart fluttered as I saw the intensity behind his eyes.
He touched my cheek and smiled. “We don’t have much time before you have to get to work.”
Anthony got out of the car and opened the trunk while I zipped up my coat.
“Is there anything I can help with?” I looked into the trunk, and a picnic basket, a large wool blanket, and a cooler had been packed inside.
“Wow. This really is a picnic.” I grabbed the blankets and small cooler while Anthony held the picnic basket and elbowed the trunk closed.
“This way,” he said, nodding in the direction of the trail. “I used to come here when I was a kid.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’d ride my bike down here and just stay for hours.”
“It’s a really pretty place.”
“Secluded and safe,” he said softly. His tone changed on the word safe and my heartbeat quickened.
We followed the trail toward the water.
“I live on Fireweed and haven’t been down to this point in forever,” I said.
“Not many people come here. That’s why I’ve always liked it. No one thinks to look here.”
His words carried so much weight. I felt the heaviness hover in the air between us as we wound down the trail.
The water came into view, and I gasped at the beauty of it all. Huge conifers gave way to an open spread of boulders, with brilliant green ferns poking out between the rocks and waves crashing along the pebbles.
“Be careful,” Anthony said. “We’re headed over there.”
I followed his gaze to small shelter with a fire pit and a metal grill for summertime, and I nodded.
“Okay,” I said, careful not to let myself slip on the rocks.
When we reached the shelter, he immediately lit a fire with chopped wood that was already in the pit.
“Were you here earlier?” I asked.
He nodded and smiled, but his eyes didn’t carry the same emotion as he opened the cooler and took out a couple of soda waters, sandwiches, and pasta salad, setting them on the picnic table. If the food was coming out of the cooler, I wondered what was in the picnic basket.
I wrapped one of the blankets around my shoulders and sat next to the fire.
“The fire is nice.”
“I wanted to share this place with you before I left,” he said, the waves folding into the distance.
“It’s beautiful.” I opened my arm and invited him to share the blanket with me, trying not to get stuck on the words.
He nodded and sat down, wrapping himself in the blanket with me.
“This was always my refuge. I didn’t have many on the island.” The iciness in his voice made me shiver, but I nestled into him more.
“How often did you come down here?” I asked, folding my hand on his. The fire warmed my cheeks as I rested my head against his shoulder.
“Not often enough,” he sighed.
“Besides my brother, I didn’t have anyone I could trust growing up. I suppose the same could be said about my adult life.”
I squeezed his hand. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“I’m starting to see that,” he said quietly.
“What were you afraid of people finding out?”
“Lots of things.” He kicked his feet out in front of him and turned to look at me, adjusting the blanket around us. He had a reflective look in his eyes as I sat quietly and waited.
“My father wasn’t a kind man.” Anthony’s eyes darkened. “He used his position of power and wealth to get what he wanted. He bought people’s trust and their silence, for as long as I can remember.”
I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know where his words were about to lead so I stayed silent. I knew his parents only from a distance. They’d show up at school events now and then. His mom picked up Natty, Cole, and me from the bowling alley a few times when we were kids, but nothing more than a passing wave. Something told me that whatever he was about to say would fracture every image I had of his perfect family, and my stomach was sick.
“The first time I saw him hit my brother, I was eight.”
I gasped and attempted to say something, but my throat closed up. Anthony’s eyes stayed locked on mine.
“I thought if I kept letting my dad focus on me, he’d leave my little brother alone. But that wasn’t how it worked. That’s not how evil works.”
“I’m in shock.”
He nodded and squeezed me, but his gaze stayed on mine. “It wasn’t like the older we got, the less he hit us. In fact, it was the opposite. It didn’t matter if we did anything wrong or not. If he was having a bad night, he’d take it out on us.”
“What about your mother?” I asked.
Anthony let out a grunt. “My brother and I have differing theories on her.”
“How so?” I asked, pushing the tears away. I’d been so stuck on wanting him to open up to me that I never guessed he was hiding such dark secrets . . . such a painful past.
“I think she should’ve done more to protect us, especially my little brother. She acted like she didn’t know what was going on, but she knew, and she never once stopped him or tried to leave him. She valued her lifestyle over her kids’ wellbeing.”
“And Cole?” I asked.
“I don’t know. He doesn’t want to think his mother could be so heartless. He’s not close to her, but he makes excuses for her.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“Life’s not always what it seems. I know my friends all thought we had it so easy, but the moment our front door shut, I never knew what to expect. I tried to stay away as much as I could. I came here all the time just to get away. Cole had more friends and more excuses to be away from the house, so I came up with my own. I wrote and taught myself guitar here.”
“Couldn’t the police do something to stop it?” I asked.
“It’s seldom that easy.” Anthony grimaced, barely able to grind the words out. “My dad was friends with the sheriff, and we knew we couldn’t trust anyone. Money does strange things to people. My dad guaranteed that the soccer team at school had the best equipment, the fastest computers were sent to the computer labs . . . every option was covered. If we told anyone at school, no one would have believed us. It would have hurt us. The best thing for us was to leave home the moment we could—and we did. Now that I’m older, I understand there were ways out, but at the time, the only thing that led my decisions had to do with trying to keep my brother safe, and Pelican Point was the only place that stopped my mind from racing. I didn’t have to think about tomorrow when I came here. I could just enjoy the moment.” He let out an uncomforta
ble laugh. “So that’s the mess of my life. We all have them. We’re all tied to our past somehow.”
I straightened up and turned to face him as he readjusted the blanket around us.
“But maybe sharing your history with me will help,” I said as he cupped his hands around mine.
“Maybe,” he said.
A few minutes of silence passed between us.
“I wish I could take away the pain.”
“Remember when you said whoever wrote that song had a bad case of the blues?” he asked, the sparkle coming back into his eyes.
“How can I forget?” I rolled my eyes.
“Well, now you know that you were right. I have good days and bad days.”
“A lot of things you’ve told me over the last month or so are starting to finally fit.” I let out a deep breath. “You’ve helped to reshape my view, and I know you still don’t understand how much you’ve done for me, but you have changed my life, and I hope to be able to somehow offer something in return.”
Anthony smiled. “Just don’t stop believing in yourself.”
“I won’t.”
“Should we eat so you can make it through your shift?” he asked, smiling.
I wanted to tell him that after hearing everything, I felt like absolutely no food, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He’d gone to such trouble to plan this.
He stood and the blanket dropped off as I spun around to face the table. He got a couple of plates out of the picnic basket and pulled out what looked like a yearbook, which he slid in front of me.
“What’s this?” I asked, sitting back down and wrapping the blanket around us both.
“When Mary and her daughter, Eileen, were helping me with my broken leg, she mentioned how wonderful she thought it would be if Cole and Natty got back together.”
I grinned. “Well, who doesn’t love a high school sweetheart story?” I laughed.
“Especially when they wished it could be them,” he said, opening the yearbook. “I got this from Mary. She wanted me to show it to you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your dad and Mary dated all through high school.”
“No way?” A pulse of excitement ran through me. My eyes ran along the page, and there they both were.
Tangled Love on Pelican Point (Island County Series Book 3) Page 16
