“Must you do something now? Why not wait and see?”
“The wedding is in September! There is so much that still needs to be done. I want to go to Portland and meet with my baker friend about the cake, and I need to find a photographer, and…”
“Hold on, Zoe. I love you and I want to help, but you need to calm down and not rush into anything you aren’t ready for. Your dad and I both really like Nick. He’s a wonderful man. Neither of us has any qualms about your engagement to him, but if you are not ready to commit to a date, hold off.”
“But, I wanted to get married in the garden behind the B&B with the Puget Sound as the backdrop.”
“That will be beautiful, but you could always marry him next year.”
Zoe stilled. Could she live under the same roof with Nick for an entire year and not compromise her morals? It was difficult now for both of them. She bit down on her lower lip.
“That is, if you still want to marry him.” Michelle’s voice was soft.
“Oh, I do, but I don’t want to rush. I’ll take your advice and pray. Thanks for reminding me once again that I need to do that.”
“That’s what mothers do. Remind our children to do things.” She chuckled.
Zoe grinned. “Bye, Mom.”
“Talk to you soon.”
Zoe turned in the direction of the B&B and increased her pace. Aside from preparing the tea, the afternoon was hers to do as she pleased, and she wanted to fill Nick in on her thoughts.
Nick’s stomach knotted. He knew something was wrong with Zoe. They sat shoulder to shoulder in the sitting room talking in hushed tones. “I hear you saying you’d like to postpone the wedding. Is that correct?”
“No. Yes. I don’t know what I want.” She grabbed his hand and shifted to face him. “I was asking you to pray with me about it. I didn’t mean to say my mind was made up.”
Her words didn’t ease his concern. Was this the first step to the end for them? No, it couldn’t be. He loved her, and he knew she loved him. She showed it in so many little ways, from special smiles she sent his way when they passed in the house to the way she made sure his favorite coffee creamer was always on hand. She knew what he needed or wanted before he even said it. Zoe saw things about him that most people missed. “So you want me to pray about our wedding date?”
“Yes.” Her eyes sparkled. “I want to marry you, but at the same time, the idea of jumping into marriage after only knowing each other such a short time gives me pause.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? That’s all you have to say?” Hurt clouded her voice.
What did she want him to say? His stomach knotted as he disengaged his hand from her vise-like grip and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. “For once in my life I have no reservations. I’d marry you right now, if you’d let me, but if you need time then I will give you time. And I will also pray.” He’d pray the Lord would hurry up and tell Zoe to marry him. There was no way he could live under the same roof with her if they weren’t. He wanted her, and he didn’t want to wait much longer.
“Thank you.” She plopped a kiss on his cheek. “I need to get the tea ready. Want to come help?”
“Sure.” At least she wasn’t trying to avoid him. That had to be a good sign. He stood and offered her a hand up. He had to find a way to ease her fears. But how?
Chapter Ten
Piper rose at dawn and crept down the stairs of the bed-and-breakfast. A morning walk on the beach was exactly what she needed to clear her head. She’d barely slept. Her mind and heart were a jumbled mess. She’d find out the town council’s decision this morning. What would she do if they said no? Ordinarily it wouldn’t be a big deal, but this time was different. Dad appeared to have lost faith in her. In addition, this was family land, and for whatever reason she’d come to love it.
She took the well-worn path down to the water and strolled along the shoreline. Water licked at her sneakers. Her phone played Flight of the Bumblebee. She groaned. So much for clearing her head. “Good morning, Dad. You’re up early.”
“I have a plane to catch. Any news?”
“I was able to get Tony to look over the project. He projected a profit by year five with the current plan.”
“It was only two years with the old one.”
Her pulse jumped at his challenge. She forced calmness into her tone. “I realize that, but even though this place is a lot smaller in scope it’s going to exceed expectations. I can feel it.”
“We’ll see. Did you get the approval to start the project? I must reply to the offer by noon, or it’s off the table.”
“I’ll call as soon as I know something.” Should she tell him her idea? At this point she had nothing to lose. “You’ve gone this long without selling or doing anything with the land. What’s the rush now? Is the business in trouble?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
“I wish I understood the sudden urgency. Honestly, Dad, I believe in this new project so much, I’m willing to put my own money into it if it comes to that. This is a special place, and the people here are the kind I want to call friends.”
Silence met her ear. “You still there, Dad?”
“Did I ever tell you why your mother and I bought that land?”
She shook her head then remembered he couldn’t see her. “No.” She sat on the pebble beach facing the water.
“We went to Wildflower Island for our honeymoon.”
“Really?” She couldn’t hide the surprise in her tone. “I remember seeing the pictures in one of Mom’s photo albums. My favorite was one of the two of you out on a sailboat, but I thought you were in Hawaii or the Caribbean. I had no idea you were in Washington.” Had she really never asked the location of the pictures? She assumed it would be one of her mother’s favorite vacation spots.
He chuckled. “That’s what your mother wanted, but I’d worked hard to save and didn’t want to blow it on an expensive honeymoon.”
That sounded like Dad. He’d always been a penny pincher and the practical one in her parents’ marriage, at least from what she’d observed.
“We had such a good time there. Your mother fell in love with the place.”
“You’re kidding!” Not that there was anything wrong with the island, but it was not her mom’s kind of place. She was more Beverly Hills than Wild West. The analogy put a smile on her face. This island wasn’t even close to being the Wild West and to her knowledge the closest her mom had ever been to Beverly Hills was the upscale, Bellevue Square Mall.
“Nope. Your mother thought the island quaint. Anyway, a few years later I found out about the acreage for sale. Hunt Enterprises had finally taken off and was showing a nice profit. Your mother begged me to buy it and build a resort there so we could visit every summer.”
“That’s so sweet, Dad. Why didn’t you try and build sooner?”
“Life got in the way of our dreams.”
“Is that what this project is? A dream?”
“I suppose so.” He sighed. “Anyway, if it doesn’t work out, you gave it your best shot. No hard feelings. Your mom will understand, and so will I. We thought to retire there, so if it works out, we want a suite in that hotel of yours.”
A soft smile touched her lips. “For real? You’d live here?”
“I’d like to slow down someday, and Wildflower is the kind of place I’d like to do that in. Your mother agrees.”
Piper was almost speechless. She never dreamed in her wildest imagination that her parents would leave Seattle for this. The other part of his little speech hit her. Her stomach jolted. “You mean I won’t lose my job if the development isn’t given the okay?”
“If you’d asked me that question a week ago, I’d have said yes, but I talked to Tony after you left his place yesterday. He told me in detail, I might add, what you want to do and I must say, I’m impressed. If those jokers down there don’t take us up on our offer to put that island on the map then they are big…”
; “I get the idea.” She held back a grin. Dad was seldom passionate about anything enough to start calling names. In fact name-calling had always been a no-no in their house. “I’ll call you as soon as I hear something. Please consider hanging onto the land and not selling it to that mystery buyer.”
“It doesn’t make sense to hold on any longer to land that I can’t develop. I don’t have the desire to fight for this. The people there either want it or they don’t.” His voice sounded defeated. What was that about? “Call me as soon as you know something. Bye.”
She slipped her phone into her windbreaker’s pocket and stood. At least she knew her job was safe, but the idea of someone swooping in and buying her parents’ dream land irked her. No way would she allow that to happen. Maybe she could pull together enough money to counter the offer her dad received. No matter the outcome of the vote she’d be leaving the island today, and she had a lot of work to do.
“Yes, you heard me correctly. I would like to withdraw my offer for the Hunt property.” Chase gazed out his picture window that faced the Puget Sound.
His attorney was silent on the other end of the phone line.
“Are you still there?”
“I’m taking notes, and to be honest, I don’t understand. I had the impression from Mr. Hunt that you were likely to be granted the sale. If you don’t mind my asking, what changed?”
“I realized that it’s not about me.”
“I still don’t understand.” The bafflement in his attorney’s voice made him chuckle.
“I didn’t expect you would. I’m a bit surprised myself. Can I count on you?”
“Of course. I’ll be in touch.” The line clicked.
Chase placed the phone on the battery charger. He yawned and reached for the coffee he’d poured before calling his attorney. He’d have to hustle if he was going to catch Piper at the B&B. They’d sat outside in his special spot for a couple of hours last night talking. He’d enjoyed her company, and for the first time wished she wasn’t planning to leave the island. Maybe he could convince her to stay a while. He would like to get to know her better. But then again, what was the point? She was only here to develop the land. It wasn’t like she had a life here.
All the same, he wanted to be with her when they found out the results of the vote. He grabbed his keys and jogged to his pickup. Hopefully he would catch Piper at the B&B. It would be close. He shot her a text letting her know he was on his way over to see her and to wait.
Piper’s cell buzzed with a text. She read the message and paused. Why was Chase coming here? Her bags sat beside her bedroom door. She’d had breakfast and was getting ready to check out. Well, whatever he wanted it must be important, so she’d wait out on the porch once she dropped her suitcase into the Jeep.
Nick strode down the hall from the direction of the dining room. “All set?”
“Yes.” She handed him her credit card. “You have a lovely place here. I’ll be sure to tell my friends.”
He smiled. “Thank you. I’m glad you liked the place.”
“Give Zoe my compliments too. She’s a keeper.”
“Don’t I know it.” He handed her back her credit card. “I hope you’ll visit us again someday.”
“Me too. I’m meeting Chase here. Do you mind if I sit on the porch swing until he shows up?”
“Not at all.”
“Thanks.” She raised a hand and waved on her way out the door. The town council should have their answer by now. Maybe Chase was coming to deliver the news, although she’d assumed they’d call. She dumped her bag in the back of her Jeep then settled onto the porch swing. Her foot bounced rapidly up and down in a steady rhythm. Her nervous stomach made her regret eating breakfast.
A truck pulled into the driveway. She stood and trotted down the stairs, meeting Chase at his pickup. “Do you have news?”
“News?”
“About the property.” She pushed down her impatience.
“Sorry. No. I thought we could go see the mayor together. For moral support.”
She laughed. “How do you figure that one? We don’t want the same outcome.”
“Exactly. So whichever of us is disappointed the other will console.”
She grinned. “Sure. But I’ll warn you right now. The only thing that helps me when I’m inconsolable is copious amounts of ice cream.”
“Noted. What kind?”
She playfully slugged his arm. “I haven’t lost yet.”
“I want to be prepared.” He smirked.
“Cute. Shouldn’t we be going? I want to catch the next ferry off the island.”
“Why the hurry? I was serious about needing consoling.”
She paused. “What does it take to draw you from the doldrums of despair?”
“Kayaking.”
“I don’t have a kayak.”
“I do. And you can rent one.”
“Fine. If you lose I’ll go kayaking with you, and if I lose we’ll make ourselves sick with ice cream.” This wasn’t a competition between the two of them, but in a way it felt like it. The stakes were high, and no matter how it turned out, one of them would be hurting when all was said and done. She frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“One of us in a very short while is going to be rather unhappy. I want this so much I can taste it and not just for me, for my parents too. My dad told me something this morning that shocked me.”
“What’s that?”
“He and Mom plan to retire here if the deal goes through. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around that. I can’t imagine my mom being happy in a place like Wildflower Island, but apparently I don’t know her as well as I thought.”
“Wow.” He rubbed his chin, his face suddenly serious. “Are you ready?”
She squared her shoulders. “I’ll meet you there. Wait. Where are we going? I assumed someone would call with the news.”
“I figured Charlie would know and planned to go to his office.”
“Charlie is the mayor?”
“That’s right. Hold on a second. My phone is vibrating.” Chase pulled out his phone and a moment later the mayor was on speaker. “This is Chase along with Miss Hunt.”
“Good. I’m glad you’re there, Miss Hunt. The council ended in a stalemate. I’m sorry, but we could not come to a decision.”
Piper didn’t know if she should be relieved or disappointed. “What does that mean for the project? Is it dead?”
“For now. I’m sorry. I liked your ideas and thought they’d help the island enter the twenty-first century, but a couple of the council members prefer status quo.”
Piper raised her chin. “I understand. Thank you for taking it to a vote.”
“It was my pleasure. Maybe we can revisit the issue at our next meeting.”
“I’m not sure that will be possible. But, if it is, you can be sure I will be there.” If her dad followed through with his plan to sell, then this was the end of her dad’s dream, unless she could raise the funds to buy the property herself.
“Sounds good. Either way, I hope you will visit the island again.”
“We’ll see.” She glanced at Chase and wondered at the distress on his face. This was what he wanted, so why would he be upset?
Chase took the phone off speaker and said goodbye, then pocketed his phone. “I’m really sorry, Piper. I know this meant a lot to you.”
“Thanks. It’s not your fault. I wish I’d had time to rally the residents around the project. I know that would have made a difference. If only an offer for the property hadn’t come in and rushed things along.”
A look of shame crossed Chase’s face but then quickly disappeared. “They have a great ice cream selection at the general store. Let me treat you to a bowl.”
She shook her head. “No thanks. I’m too disappointed to eat anything. Even ice cream. Plus I have something I need to do, and time is limited.” She pivoted and headed to her Jeep. “Good bye, Chase. I really like your island. I hope you find
happiness in your solitude.” She slipped into the Jeep and drove away without looking back.
Chapter Eleven
A week later, Chase still felt horrible about Piper, and the more he thought about the resort, the more her idea to develop the land grew on him. After thoroughly studying her new proposal, he’d come to the conclusion that the resort would indeed be good for the island and the people here.
He needed to do something to get the council to reconsider her plan. He’d heard that Charlie was cutting his Hawaii trip short and would be back in a couple of days. That was plenty of time to play lobbyist with the rest of the council members.
He made a list of the members and his talking points, then set out to convince them that Piper’s dream made sense for the future of Wildflower Island. He’d been accused of being stubborn in the past, but he always admitted when he was wrong, and in this case he had been off-base.
Piper understood how things were. She loved the land as much as he did, which in and of itself boggled his mind, considering she’d spent such a short time here. Then again it had been a clear case of love at first sight when he brought her to the lake. Deep down he knew then, that she would do the right thing. If only he’d listened to his gut and not fought her. Hopefully it wasn’t too late to make things right, because somehow Piper’s dream had become his own.
Piper pushed back from her desk in the Tacoma office and stretched. Dad said he wasn’t disappointed in her, but she could tell the loss of the Wildflower Island project hurt him. She’d wanted so much to succeed. If only Chase—no she wouldn’t go there. She couldn’t expect him to go against his conscience. She admired him for sticking to his values, while at the same time supporting her right to propose her idea.
It was too bad it hadn’t worked out though. The man had grown on her in spite of his opposition. His passion for the island was what she admired most about him. He really cared about the people there and wanted the best for them.
Island Dreams (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 2) Page 6
