Island Dreams (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 2)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  Her heart rate kicked into double time. “What happened?”

  “Protestors, and it’s not pretty.”

  Chase walked around the corner of the house. After getting an idea of what Zoe wanted for her wedding, he’d made several suggestions that she seemed to like. He pulled up short when he spotted Piper pacing beside her Jeep.

  “What do you mean protestors?” Her voice carried easily.

  He rushed to her side. “What’s going on?”

  Her brows scrunched, and she looked ready to explode. “I’m on my way. No. I don’t care if you want me there or not.” Her angry gaze smacked into his. “It looks like you might get what you wanted after all. There are protestors keeping my crew from working, and they vandalized some of the equipment.” She crossed her arms. “I don’t suppose you know anything about it?”

  “Of course not! Let’s go and see. I’ll drive.”

  “Thanks, but I can drive myself. And I’m sorry for my accusation. Chalk if up to misplaced frustration. I know you had nothing to do with this, I’m just stressed.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you there.” He kept his cool and jogged to his pickup, then followed after her Jeep. It seemed a lot more than an apology was necessary to get her to trust him again. A miracle was more like it. A short time later he pulled to a stop on the side of the road. About five protesters were lying down on the land that was to be excavated, effectively blocking the machinery from continuing work.

  The excavator had been spray-painted with an unkind message. He blew out a breath. This kind of thing irked him. It was one thing to protest something, but to vandalize someone’s property in the name of free speech was wrong.

  He climbed out of his pickup and strode over to where Piper stood talking with the project foreman.

  “Who are they?” Piper nodded toward the protestors.

  “Beats me. My guess is they are tree huggers.”

  “You mean they don’t even live on the island?”

  Tom shook his head. “Apparently they saw an article in Tacoma’s The News Tribune.”

  “I remember my dad mentioning that article. Did anyone notify the police?”

  “They’re on another call, and since this isn’t an emergency, we have to wait.”

  “Absurd!”

  Chase rested a hand on her shoulder. “Want me to talk to them, see if I can reason with them?” He’d like to hogtie the person who spray painted the excavator, but he knew that a cool head did a lot more good than a hot one.

  Surprise lit her eyes. “You’d do that?”

  “Contrary to what you believe, I’m not against this project anymore. That’s why I withdrew my offer.”

  Something indecipherable flashed in her eyes for a second, but disappeared too fast for him to figure out what she might be thinking. “Fine. Please be careful. I don’t want you or anyone hurt.” She touched his hand that rested on her shoulder. “And, Chase…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thank you.”

  The soft look in her eyes made him want to draw her close and kiss her. Why did she have to be so irresistible even in less than desirable circumstances? He took her hand and drew her away from Tom. “Pray for me that I’ll say the right words, because what I’d like to do would land me in jail.”

  Her eyes widened. She rested her palm against his cheek. “I’ll pray, and you be smart.” Standing on tiptoe she kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet.” He grinned.

  “But your willingness to means a lot.”

  He nodded then marched over to the protestors. Not even one of them was from the island. Why would they care? “Hi there, my name is Chase Grayson. I specialize in organic and environmentally friendly landscaping. What seems to be the problem?”

  A man who looked to be in his early twenties raised his head and peered at Chase. “We love the land and don’t want to see it destroyed by a resort.”

  “Good. We both want the same thing.”

  The dude looked at him skeptically.

  “I happen to be privy to the schematics of this development and my company has been hired to design and implement an environmentally friendly landscape. You have my word that the fewest number of trees possible are being removed and those that are will be used. In fact the developer actually agrees with you regarding the land. That’s why she went back to the drawing board once she saw this place. I think if you saw what she has in mind you may approve.”

  “Impossible. I don’t approve of any development.”

  “Really? Do you own a house?”

  “No. I rent an apartment. What’s that have to do with anything?”

  “Do you go to the grocery store, eat out, shop?”

  “Of course.” His tone was impatient. “What’s your point?”

  “You said you didn’t approve of any development, yet you benefit from it on a daily basis.”

  “That’s not the same. I have to live someplace, and I don’t have a garden so I have to buy food. Besides all those places existed before I was born.”

  “Uh-huh.” Chase didn’t know how to get through to these people. “You ever take a vacation?”

  “Of course.”

  An earthy looking woman sat up. “I went to Turks and Caicos last year. It was the best vacation of my life.”

  She was the last person in the group he expected to have gone to such a nice place and the last one he expected as an ally, but maybe he could win her over. “They have nice resorts.”

  “I know. I loved my time there.”

  “Yet, you would deprive people of that experience here?”

  “What are you talking about? There is no comparing the two.”

  “You don’t seem to be against development as long as it’s someplace else and it benefits you.”

  A Wildflower police cruiser pulled up. Chase walked toward Piper. “I tried.”

  “I know, and I appreciate your effort. It looks like the authorities will have to step in, though.”

  Ten minutes later the protestors were marched away in handcuffs.

  Piper blew out a long breath. “I’m glad that’s over. I’ll catch up with you later, Tom. I need to talk with Chase.” She turned to him. “What you did today means a lot to me.” She strolled toward her Jeep.

  He ambled alongside her, unable to hold in a grin. “I guessed so since you kissed me.” He waggled his brows.

  She chuckled. “I was under duress and not thinking clearly.” Her cheeks bloomed a pretty shade of pink.

  He shook his head, unable to wipe the smile from his face. “Whatever you say, Piper. But you should know that even though we may, and probably will, disagree from time to time about the details of this project, I am always on your side. Okay? I need to know you trust me.”

  She tilted her head. “I’m getting there. I have trust issues, and you hit a nerve when I found out about the offer.”

  He’d apologize again, but he was done apologizing. Piper knew how he felt, and it was up to her to get over what happened. “Have you given any more thought to building that cabin you talked about?”

  “Not much. I have my hands full with this project. Besides, I’m considering moving into one of the suites on the top floor.”

  “Is that what you want?” He could see her being happy there, but she’d seemed so taken with the idea of having a cabin of her own with a view.

  She shrugged. “I want a view of the Sound, but a view of the lake would be nice too. The way I see it, once you have the landscaping done, what I see from my windows will be amazing.”

  He puffed out his chest a little. “Thanks.” He had his work cut out for him, to be sure. But he was up for the challenge. If only to see the twinkle come back into Piper’s eyes. He missed seeing her initial excitement when she’d first told him about the project. Clearly she’d been hurt and he had a lot to do with that, but he’d make it up to her. “Maybe you could tell me over coffee about what you’d like to see out your window.”
r />   She grinned. “Perhaps.” She climbed into her Jeep.

  “Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

  “I forgive you, Chase, but I’m still having a hard time completely trusting you. Today helped though. A lot.” She winked and pulled the door closed.

  “Okay.” He stepped back. He sure wished he knew why she had such a hard time trusting. It seemed to him, his offense was minor. Someone had clearly done a number on her.

  She waved as she drove off.

  He turned back to the foreman. “Tom, I’d like to get your opinion on something.”

  “Make it fast. Now that those people are out of the way, we need to make up time.”

  “Sure thing.” He quickly explained Piper’s cabin desire then asked what he thought and if it was feasible.

  “It’s doable. We’d need a building permit, and it wouldn’t be cheap to haul all the supplies there, but now’s the time to do it, since we’ve ferried all the equipment over.”

  “That’s what I was thinking too. Let me contemplate this a little more and run it by Piper, then I’ll get back to you.” Chase marched to his pickup. Helping Piper see her dream become reality would go a long way in gaining her trust, which was something he desired very much. But first he had to make sure building the cabin would be possible in the location she desired.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Wednesday evening, Piper sat with Zoe at a picnic table behind the B&B. A mass of mint green and white sheer ribbon covered the table. “Your wedding is going to be beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” Zoe glanced up from the bow she was bending into perfection. “I’ll slip cut daisies into each one the night before the wedding and attach them to the chairs along the center aisle.”

  “What other flowers will you have?” Piper didn’t care much for weddings, but she liked Zoe and wanted to be her friend even if she would be her boss one day.

  “I’m not sure yet. Chase suggested we use wildflowers since they would be easy to get. Plus the fall flowers will be in bloom, so I don’t think we need to add too much more.” A dreamy looked crossed Zoe’s face. “I want to be married under a simple arbor. The backdrop will be the Puget Sound. We’ll close the B&B to outside guests for a few days before and a week following the wedding to house our out-of-town guests.” Her hands stilled. “I’m sorry. I forgot you’d need a place to stay. But no worries, we won’t need all of the guestrooms, and I’m sure Nick thought of that when he rented you the room.”

  “It’s fine. I can stay in one of the other B&B’s if that would make things easier.”

  “No. You are welcome to continue on at the Wildflower for as long as you’d like. Besides I doubt you’d find another room available on the island. Although we’re having a small wedding, as soon as word got out about it, Nick’s family and friends started booking rooms. We are only housing immediate family.” She grinned. “Actually, now that I think about it, Nick’s brother and nephew will stay in his apartment, and my foster parents will stay in a guest suite. There is plenty of room for you, but I hope you don’t mind fending for yourself for a few days.”

  Piper wasn’t sure that staying sounded like a good idea. She’d feel like an intruder. “I wish my hotel would be finished by then, but that’s impossible, considering we haven’t even started building yet.” It would take a lot of excavating to prepare the site before any structures were built.

  Zoe chuckled. “For sure. Think about it and let me know. You’re welcome to come to the wedding too.”

  “Thanks.” Piper’s heart warmed at Zoe’s thoughtfulness, and it pleased her all the more that she’d acquired Zoe as the executive chef of her restaurant. “I’m a pretty good photographer. You probably already hired someone, but if you haven’t, I’d be honored to take your pictures.” She was only an amateur, but had been offered money many times for her nature shots.

  “Actually, I haven’t found one yet. Everyone I’ve approached has been booked for months. Maybe you could show me some of your work.”

  “I’d be happy to. I’ve been making a photo log of the construction progress and plan to frame the best shots to use as art work in one wing of the resort hotel. In fact, it’d be fun to include a few of your wedding photos in the restaurant.”

  “Really?” Zoe looked doubtful. “Why would anyone want to see my wedding pictures?”

  “You’re a famous chef.”

  “Well-known, but not famous.”

  Piper shrugged. “I’ll be right back.” She darted to her room, grabbed her laptop and trotted down the stairs as Chase walked in. Her heart did a little thrill. “Hey there.”

  “Hi yourself. You’re exactly the person I was looking for.”

  She grinned. “I’m headed out back to show Zoe some of my photos. You’re welcome to come along.”

  He strolled beside her, looking more handsome than ever. What was going on with her today? It wasn’t like her to volunteer to take pictures for people, nor was it normal for her to get so excited to see Chase, but she couldn’t deny that seeing him brightened this sunny day even more. Ever since he’d stood up to the protestors five days ago, and tried to convince them to leave, she couldn’t get him out of her mind. “Why’d you come by to see me?”

  “I’ve done something I need to tell you about.”

  Her stomach sunk. Now what? Right when she was ready to open up to him he had something else to spring on her? Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing, and she was over-reacting. He didn’t appear nervous, in fact he seemed happy. She relaxed. “Can it keep until I’m done with Zoe?”

  “Sure. No problem.”

  “Look who stopped by,” Piper called out to Zoe.

  “Just the man I need to talk to. I liked your idea of having an arbor to be married under, and I’d like to have a simple one built. Can you recommend someone?”

  “I could get you one, but why not have Nick’s brother build it? I’m sure he’d love to help.”

  Zoe smacked her forehead. “I should have thought of that. Thanks.”

  “Good. Now that that’s taken care of, check out my gallery.” Piper handed the computer across the table. “As you can see, I mostly do nature shots, but there are a few with people.”

  Chase walked around the table and stood behind Zoe. “These are great. I didn’t realize you took pictures of the protestors.”

  “You can’t see any of their faces, which was by design. I thought it might be fun to include this on the wall I plan to use to display the building of the resort.” She stood and walked around. “I was careful to make sure your back was turned to the camera. Getting photo releases is a hassle I don’t like dealing with.”

  “I would have signed one, but I like this. You really captured the tension of the moment.”

  Piper stood a little taller. “Thanks.”

  “These are great!” Zoe scrolled to the next picture. “I would love to have you take our photos. What do you charge?”

  Piper shook her head. “Oh no. This is my gift. You and Nick have been very nice to me, and I want to do this for you. I’ll burn the pictures onto a CD so you can have whichever ones you’d like printed.”

  Zoe looked up at her. “For real? You’d do that?

  “I would love to. It’ll be fun. How many people will be in your wedding party?”

  “Nick’s brother is his best man, but I haven’t decided on a maid of honor yet.”

  “You’d better get with it. The wedding is next month! Your maid of honor will need time to find a dress, make travel arrangements, plan…”

  “Slow down. I want a simple wedding. Whomever I choose will be able to wear the dress that suits her.”

  “You’re a braver woman than me. I never would give that much control to my wedding party, but it’s your wedding.” She looked to Chase who’d still stood waiting for her attention. “Do you have time to take a walk after I run this to my room?”

  “Sure. I’ll wait here.”

  Piper snatched up her laptop, then retraced her steps from earl
ier. She could hear Zoe picking his brain about the style of arbor she should have built. She set the computer on the table by the window then rushed down the stairs and out the door.

  She jogged over to the table, which Zoe had cleared of the bows. The extra ribbon and bows along with a tablecloth she’d used to keep everything clean sat neatly tucked away in a clear plastic tub with the lid securely in place. “You ready, Chase?”

  He nodded. “Talk to you later, Zoe. It sounds like you have a good plan in place. Let me know if you need any more help.” He placed a gentle hand on Piper’s back and guided her toward the trail to the beach that many of the guests used.

  A tingle zipped up her back. His familiar behavior surprised her, but it wasn’t unwelcome.

  “You’re quiet.”

  “Sometimes.” She grinned. They stepped off the path onto the pebble-covered beach. “I love this island.”

  “I’m glad, because I have something to tell you.”

  She stopped and faced him. “I’m listening.”

  “Remember when you mentioned wanting a view of the Sound from your own home?”

  “Of course, but…”

  “I did some checking. You can build on that spot we found if you still want to.”

  She sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. Didn’t he think she was capable of checking into the matter? This was exactly like something her parents would do. She was a grown woman and capable of pursuing the cabin on her own, without assistance from anyone. Besides, she’d resolved to live at the resort. It made more sense for her to be on site. A cabin to escape to would be a treat, but it wasn’t practical.

  “If you want to do it, you need to get moving while the equipment is still on the island. Tom said it would be easy enough to clear a road and the plot. You give the word, and he will make it happen.”

  She stared open mouthed.

  He reached out and gently pushed up her chin. “Don’t want you to swallow a mosquito.” He gave a lopsided grin.

  Didn’t he think she was capable of talking to her own foreman if she wanted something done? This was like her dad all over again. He seldom trusted her to do a job right and always went behind her back. She took a breath and let it out. But Chase was trying to be nice. It wasn’t fair to get angry at someone who was trying to be nice, but at the same time he needed to know how she felt, so this kind of thing wouldn’t come up again. She liked him too much to allow this to come between them.