Tempting Love on Holly Lane (Island County Book 5)

by Karice Bolton

  I placed my hands on my hips and cocked my head. “In my own living room. Besides, I was overheating, and I didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good hoodie with paint.”

  Maddie slid the tin back on the shelf and turned to face me. Her hair was a darker blonde than mine and her eyes sparkled blue. Mine were brown.

  “Nonetheless, you were dancing your heart out and caressing a paintbrush with your front door wide open. You live on one acre, Holly, not a thirty-acre pasture. Believe it or not, sound still carries.” She grinned and shook her head. “You always have a knack.”

  “How so?”

  “Remember Donald?”

  I cringed. How could I forget Donald? He was the Resident Assistant (RA) on our floor of the dorm back in college. He requested a quick dorm transfer after walking in on me singing and dancing in the shower. I couldn’t hear him hollering for an “all-clear”, and he couldn’t hear me singing in the back where the showers were located. I hadn’t realized that in all my singing glory, I’d managed to sweep the shower curtain open and Donald got an eyeful. I wasn’t in the most flattering of positions, and I’d scarred him for life. For some reason, he switched from a science major to history after that and always turned beet red when he saw me on campus.

  “I just need to be a little more cautious at the house. I guess I got overly excited that I no longer had to ride an elevator to an apartment or shut the curtains to change.”

  “Correction. You should still shut your curtains to change.” Maddie laughed. “See? I think you just set yourself up.”

  “If it means getting to meet more Nicks, I’m all for it.” I wiped down the shelves and looked out the window to see a road full of cars. “Is it always this busy on Main Street on a Saturday?”

  “A storm is coming.” She shut down her laptop.

  “But there’s no snow yet. Why’s the traffic so crazy?” I asked.

  “People are stocking up. Do you have candles and flashlights?”

  I shook my head.

  “Well, I’d swing by the store and pick some up.”

  “Seriously?”

  “You’ll see.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Worrywart. Now tell me what you know about Nick.”

  “Besides that he’s one of the most gorgeous men to walk the planet?”

  “You think so too?” I asked.

  “I think all the women on and off Fireweed think that.”

  “Is he involved with anyone?” My pulse was starting to quicken and I had no idea why.

  “Well . . .” My sister’s brows pulled together and she looked conflicted.

  “Oh. My. God. You two are? I’m so sorry. I’ll totally—”

  “Not even.” My sister grabbed her jacket and scarf off the hook behind her. “Come on. We’re shutting down early. It’s a snow day.”

  “But there’s no snow.”

  “Just wait.” She winked as I put my coat on. “Anyway, about Nick. It’s not that he’s involved with just one person. He’s more of a . . .”

  “Player?” I finished for my sister.

  “Yes. He’s definitely a player. That is the perfect adjective to describe Nick and the perfect one to keep me far away.”

  “What’s he do for a living?” I followed my sister out the door and waited as she locked it. The idea of getting to know a player didn’t sound all bad to me, especially since I was in no way ready for any kind of commitment.

  It was early November, and since I’d arrived on the island, the weather wavered between rain and fog with a dusting of snow here and there. Orange and yellow chrysanthemums lined the sidewalk and dried leaves littered the soil and streets. There was no doubt about it. Fireweed was a beautiful place to live, even if they were inept at preparing for snow.

  “He builds custom furniture, but I think he’s been doing more design work lately and someone else is building it. Or maybe not. I really don’t know. It’s hard to keep track of everyone around here.” Her fingers wiggled in the air.

  “That’s cool. Then he knows how to use his hands.” I flashed a smile and Maddie groaned.

  “He tends to avoid most women on the island.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “It’s just something I’ve noticed. I’ve never seen him with anyone from Fireweed besides his friends. The women he’s with all seem to be from the mainland.”

  “He’s worth a ferry trip?” My brow arched.

  “Apparently so, or he just doesn’t want to anger the female population of Fireweed.”

  A blast of frigid air sent a chill through me.

  “Smart man.” I nodded. “It’s a small place to live.”

  “And so it begins,” Maddie said as I zipped my coat up. “It even smells like snow.”

  She was obviously done talking about Nick. I loved my sister to pieces, but when she was through with a conversation, she just turned it off and carried on. It was a habit I learned about long ago.

  “I’m looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about.” I had to admit the temperature had dropped tremendously since I arrived at my sister’s tea shop, and the crispness in the air was almost painful.

  “Promise me you’ll get some basic supplies. The islands are notorious for losing power.”

  “Things to tell your sister before convincing her to move to an island clear across the country,” I teased. “But yes, I promise to get some supplies on the way home.”

  “You could always stay at my house for the weekend.”

  “And relive the magical moments from when I first moved out here? I don’t think so.” My sister was sweet, but she was also extremely rigid. She woke up every day at the same time and her schedule never veered off course, which is why a snow day kind of surprised me. I’d never imagine her shutting down shop when the store hours are clearly stated.

  “Why are you smiling?” my sister asked as we walked to our cars.

  “No reason.”

  “Come on. Don’t make me pull it out of you.” She studied me closely from the corner of her eye.

  “You just usually like to play by the rules. I’m surprised you’re shutting down the shop early.”

  “You’ll see soon enough.”

  I gave my sister a quick hug and climbed into my Fiat. I really wasn’t looking forward to spending any time without power, but at least I’d be warm with my fireplace.

  I popped my car into reverse and waved at my sister before heading to the grocery store down the street. When I turned into the parking lot I was in shock at how packed it was. I didn’t see an empty parking spot anywhere, and people were pushing carts full of supplies like there was a run on common sense.

  I circled the lot a few times and finally nabbed a spot next to the door.

  See? Luck was already on my side.

  Since all the carts were taken, I went inside, grabbed a small basket, and immediately stood in line for a pumpkin spice latte. First things first. As I waited for my turn, I watched the frantic movements of moms, husbands, and children running around and putting all kinds of things in their carts. Whether it was marshmallows, cookies, or potato chips, nothing that was going into the carts looked absolutely life or death.

  I ordered my drink and waited for it to be called as I realized this snowstorm was calling out for one big party of corn chips and salsa. I might throw in a flashlight or candles, but the necessities weren’t what drove people to shop. It was getting to eat junk food and spend time with the family that made these aisles full.

  Taking a sip of the sweetness, I made my way down the aisles, tossing in cookies, chips, soda, canned soup, and batteries. It wasn’t until I found the aisle where candles and flashlights were supposed to be that I realized things were going to be very dark this weekend if the power did go out. I guess in between tossing in potato chips and graham crackers, the islanders managed to snag all the candles too.

  I let out a huff and wandered to the checkout and stood in line for what seemed like hours. It wasn’t
until a woman a few carts behind me started giggling that I came out of my trance.

  “What I wouldn’t give to spend a snowy weekend all alone with him.” The woman chuckled, and I glanced behind me to see a woman talking into her phone as if we were all a part of her conversation. “The way he works that wood. Could you imagine what he’d—”

  “Excuse me,” the woman behind me told the sex fiend as she covered her son’s ears. “Not all of us need to hear what your weekend plans are.”

  “Oh, Mrs. Lachtes, I only wish he were part of my weekend plans.” She hung up on whoever was on the other end of the phone and grinned at the woman behind me.

  These two knew each other?

  “Regardless, the whole store doesn’t need to hear about your Nick fantasies.” The mom removed her hands from her son’s ears and tried to hide a smile while I stood frozen. They were talking about my neighbor?

  “I never said it was Nick whom I was referring to,” the other woman nearly stuttered.

  “You didn’t have to. We all know.”

  Nick really was at the tip of all single women’s thoughts.

  Figured.

  “That’s so not true,” the grinning woman countered.

  “How many other woodworkers on this island do women talk about?” the mom teased. I realized these two were good friends, but I was so immersed in learning about Nick, I didn’t realize the checker had already rung me up.

  “Miss?”

  I spun around and apologized as I quickly inserted my debit card, still keeping an ear open to the conversation behind me.

  “Even if I camped out at his house, he wouldn’t look in my direction. He’s too good for the locals.” I caught her rolling her eyes.

  “I don’t think that’s it at all. Can you imagine the hassle if he started dating here? He runs through females like there’s no tomorrow.”

  “Have a nice day, and stay safe from the storm,” the checker told me, handing me a paper bag of groceries and scooting me on out of the line.

  I waltzed to my car, shoved my junk food on the backseat, and took off toward home. At least living across the street from the island’s player would give me some entertainment. It might be fun to see who rolls out of his house each morning.

  I turned down the long road winding to my driveway and happened to look across the street at Nick’s house. Actually, I couldn’t really see his house, only a workshop along the drive canopied by giant Douglas firs and naked maples, but I did spot his truck in his driveway, which provided an unexpected giddiness.

  Pulling into my own driveway, I was shocked to see two sawhorses in front of my cabin with lumber stretched between, and an extremely handsome man running a saw down one of the boards.

  I turned off my ignition, grabbed the groceries from the backseat, and hopped out of the car. The sound of the buzzing saw echoed through the air. He obviously didn’t hear my car come up behind him. Not wanting to startle him into slicing off a finger, I stood behind Nick, waiting for him to finish.

  My mind was running rampant with different scenarios and imagining how tonight could end. It didn’t help the rumors around town as he worked in front of me with his bare arms flexing and moving the saw along the wood, putting all kinds of thoughts into my brain about what else he was good at.

  Nick took a step back and lopped off another chunk of wood, and the definition in his forearms uncorked something completely screwy in me. I’d never been turned on by manual labor, and that was essentially what was happening here.

  It was freezing outside, and he was only wearing a navy t-shirt, loose-fitting jeans, and a leather tool belt. He had flecks of sawdust in his hair, and I had an overwhelming desire to ruffle them out for him.

  This was crazy!

  He took a step back and turned off the saw, and my heart literally skipped a beat as I watched him take one of the boards up the steps to the vacant hole where the front door used to be.

  Things really were different on Fireweed.

  I cleared my throat—trying to get up enough nerve to thank him—when he spun around, his eyes connecting with mine. I shifted the grocery bag from one hip to the other.

  “You’re home early.” A huge grin spread across his lips and my heart flipped.

  How did he know my schedule? Had he been paying attention?

  “Am I?”

  He grabbed the drill and put in a couple of screws before placing it back down.

  “I was only teasing about tearing my house apart. You didn’t have to do this.” I walked up the steps and scanned the work zone.

  “I felt bad,” he said, stepping aside to allow me into my home. “And I thought this was a better way to welcome you to the neighborhood than telling you to turn down the music.”

  “I didn’t know you were telling me to turn down the music.” I chuckled. “Do you always hang doors for your neighbors?” I stepped inside my freezing house.

  “First time.” He kept his eyes on me, and for some reason, the attention nearly unfastened me as I set the bag on the kitchen counter.

  How could he produce these feelings with just a look?

  “Well, thank you.” I studied him, wondering if it was true that he always stayed away from island women.

  Maybe it was worth the move to Seattle.

  He rubbed the dark whiskers along his jaw and nodded.

  “It’s the least I can do. You’ve got your hands full with this place. Anyway, your door frame was completely rotten, and I happened to have some wood, so. . .”

  My smile widened as I saw a flush along his neck and cheeks, but it vanished as fast as it came. I had to have imagined it.

  “Would you like anything to eat while you finish? I took your and my sister’s advice about preparing for the storm.”

  “Is that so?” He wandered over to me and peeked into the bag.

  Just being close to him was a turn-on.

  “Fudge-striped cookies and BBQ potato chips are your way of preparing for a storm?” he said, laughing.

  “And the rest of the island’s way, from what I saw.” I grinned, taking both packages out of the bag.

  “What about things like flashlights, candles, batteries?” He glanced over at the box from the day before. “Although something tells me you have plenty of batteries.”

  I ignored him and grabbed the chicken noodle soup out of the bag.

  “For your information, they were out of the basics, and I’d rather be full in the dark than hungry in the dark. Would you like some cookies?” I asked, ripping the container open before he responded.

  “I’m good. I should get back at it.” He pointed at the door, and I smiled before taking a bite of the fudge-striped goodness.

  “I feel so bad. You’ve got to let me repay you somehow. How about I make you dinner one night?”

  Something changed behind his expression and his eyes dropped to the ugly carpet. “You don’t owe me a thing. It’s just a neighbor being friendly with a neighbor.”

  “But—” My heart fell. I guess it was true about him and island girls.

  He held up his hand and a smile crept along his lips. “Just let me catch you dancing sometime, and all will be well in my world.”

  “Speaking of which, do you think it’s fair you saw me without a shirt and I haven’t seen you sans clothing?”

  Complete shock flashed across his face, and I had to admit, I was equally as surprised at what tumbled out of my mouth.

  I was enjoying this new me.

  “Umm. It’s like thirty degrees.” His brow arched slightly.

  I shrugged, hiding my smile as I began putting away the groceries. It had been worth a shot.

  The high-powered drill sounded again, and I glanced up to see Nick.

  . . .without his shirt.

  I gasped, and he glanced in my direction, grinning and shaking his head, as I kept myself upright with the help of the kitchen counter.

  The carved definition of his arms had nothing on his abs and pecs. His bro
nzed skin was molded over ripped muscles and tight abs, impossible for most mere mortals to obtain. Yet here he was, standing in my entry, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.

  As he stretched to secure a few more screws, his obliques lengthened, and I thought about how they would feel under my fingertips. The drilling stopped, and I brought my eyes to Nick’s.

  “You okay over there?” he asked, feigning innocence.

  “Totally fine,” I muttered. “Aren’t you cold?”

  “Not in the least bit.” He flashed another grin, and I knew I was in trouble.

  Chapter Three

  Sure enough, the snow began coming down around seven at night and the power went out by eight. Nick had finished hanging the door before it got dark, and I’d managed to get the house toasty warm once he’d left.

  The new door was the perfect addition for my cozy little cabin. It was light pine and had a little window at the top. My goal was to trim all the windows and doors in my house with the same light pine.

  To be honest, I was still in shock that Nick hung my front door. It was such a nice thing for him to do, especially for no reason.

  I’d found the door on sale after I’d first signed the papers on my house, but I had absolutely no idea how to actually replace it, and after watching Nick, I was glad I didn’t attempt it on my own.

  Wouldn’t it figure I live across from a hot, handy neighbor who only dates women who live thirty-plus miles away?

  I tugged on my flannel snowflake pajamas and let out a sigh while I stared at the flames in the fireplace, which produced the only source of light for the house. I’d carted my sleeping bag into the great room and piled the floor with pillows.

  I couldn’t wait until the carpet was replaced next week. The installers would be here with the hickory floors I’d picked out on the mainland, and the biggest change to my cabin would be complete.

  I didn’t want to buy any furniture until the floors were done because I figured trying to move everything would be impossible, and I had no real place to store the stuff anyway.

  My mind kept looping with all the quiet and I groaned as my to-do list kept circulating.

  I had a lengthy list of items I wanted to get taken care of before my parents came out over Thanksgiving. I think they were still in shock I’d left Manhattan. Some days, I was still in shock that I no longer had to hurry to get dressed, slam a coffee, and make my way into the office by eight. I wish I could say I’d left a ton of friends behind and that it was a tough choice to move across the country, but the truth was that I didn’t leave much behind at all.