He could only imagine. They pulled out of her driveway and down the street and without thinking, he reached over and took her hand in his. “So tell me about your house.”
“It’s just a rental. I wasn’t ready to buy anything on my own just yet – I need to establish myself a little more financially first – and it just so happened that one of my mom’s good friends was looking to go up north to be with her family for the next six months and needed someone to house sit. It’s not ideal, but it’s a cute place.”
“Great yard,” he commented.
“I know, right? Mrs. Carver’s always had a gift like that. She helps my mom with her yard because my mom has a black thumb, if you know what I mean.” Then she laughed. “I’ve never tried to make anything grow so I don’t know if I do or not. Hopefully I don’t. I picture having a yard of my own with tons of flowers and lots of colors.”
That pleased him. “Then I’ll have to teach you a little bit and we’ll see how you do.” He smiled at her and was rewarded with a look of pure joy on Ellie’s face.
“I’d like that a lot. I just hope I can find a place here on Mimosa. I love it here. I guess I didn’t realize how much until I came back. There’s a lot of expansion going on here but I think our little secret is out and it’s going to get harder and harder to find a place.”
“You never know,” he said, trying to sound optimistic. She had a point – Mimosa Key was growing and there were a lot more residents living here now than there were ten years ago. He was all for growth, but he kind of missed the small-town feel the place used to have.
Driving over the causeway to Naples, they talked about life on the island and what she had missed the most in her years away. Max had never been away – hadn’t had a reason to be. Sure he’d traveled a bit – went on some vacations to California, Hawaii and even to Las Vegas, but the thought of living anyplace else didn’t hold any appeal.
“I will admit I loved the snow when I lived up north,” she said. “Some winters were harder than others but because they’re all so used to it, it’s not really an inconvenience. It’s just a way of life. But that very first snowstorm my freshman year of college? I didn’t care if I failed the semester, I just wanted to go outside and play in the snow!”
He laughed, imagining he might be the same way.
“And the East Coast isn’t all that different,” she went on. “It was nice and there was every convenience you could ask for but…” She paused, shrugged. “I kind of think I prefer the small-town life. I mean, do I really need to get pizza at two in the morning?”
“Hey,” he said teasingly, “don’t knock pizza at two in the morning. Sometimes it’s a glorious thing.”
Ellie laughed. “I know it can be, but it’s not a necessity when choosing a place to live. I’d much prefer to be able to sleep with my windows open and hear the birds and the sounds of nature rather than the sounds of the interstate. But that’s just me.”
“Judging by the amount of people coming to Mimosa, I’d say it’s not just you. But then, I’m a little biased. I was born and raised on the island so it’s always been home to me.”
“Tell me where you’d like to visit,” she said.
“Hmm…I’ve always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon.”
Smiling she shook her head. “Everyone says that. It’s one of the many wonders of the world. Tell me somewhere you’d like to go that’s not so touristy.”
That wasn’t quite so easy to think of, he realized. Traveling wasn’t something he was obsessed with or even thought too much about, but if he had to pick somewhere…”Maine.”
Her eyes went wide. “Maine? Tell me why.”
“It’s just so different from here. I’d like to drive around with the top down and where everything isn’t so flat and the air is cooler. I want to taste a Maine lobster that’s pulled right out of the water.” He looked at her and smiled. “I’m a fairly simple guy. I’m not looking to travel the world. I guess that makes me kind of boring.”
Ellie shook her head. “You know what?”
Max looked at her and waited.
“I think it makes you kind of awesome.”
It was the nicest compliment anyone had ever given him. And damn did he feel like he was blushing!
They drove the remainder of the way talking about the sights and about Ellie’s thoughts on her first ride in a convertible. Max had to admit, he kind of liked knowing that she experienced a first with him. It was silly because it was only a car ride, but it still felt nice.
Pulling up to his favorite seafood restaurant, he parked and then walked around to help Ellie from the car – taking her hand in his and keeping it there as they went inside.
The place wasn’t much to look at, but it was always packed because the food was so amazing. And even though they lived on an island and Casa Blanca boasted some of the most amazing food to be found, Max enjoyed coming to Naples and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and big portions.
“This place is amazing!” Elle said as they walked to their table. “I haven’t tried anything yet and I can already tell it’s going to be delicious.”
They took their seats, listened to the waitress tell them the specials and ordered their drinks. When they were alone, he looked at her. “How can you tell?”
It took her a minute to realize what he was referring to. “Oh, because it smells incredible and everyone here is laughing and smiling. Plus…it’s packed! That tells me it’s a great place to eat.”
He’d struggled between taking her some place fancy or casual and as he watched her studying the menu, he knew he made the right choice.
In all the ways she was concerned.
Seven
THEY’D HAD AN amazing dinner.
Then they’d walked on the beach under the stars.
And at the end of the night, Max had kissed Ellie goodnight and left her breathless at her door.
Now as Ellie made her way across the lobby toward her office, she couldn’t help the smile on her face. It had been a perfect night and when she climbed from her car just a few minutes ago, Max appeared with a smile of his own and her heart melted. With a whispered hello and a promise to see her later, he kissed her and walked with her toward the building before heading off to check on the grounds.
She made her way through the office and to her desk and saw the girls were already busy. Within minutes, she was going through her own emails and double-checking her agenda for the day – most of which had to do with overseeing another part of the weekend’s events. This time it was food.
Her stomach growled as if it knew what was ahead for them and Ellie grinned. Apparently, she’d mastered the art of equipment and grounds inspection and she was ready to move on to the next phase. According to the schedule, it meant spending several hours in the hotel’s kitchen working – or rather, watching – the chef and making sure they went over all of the menus for the weekend. They had another full weekend of weddings – one on Friday night and one on Saturday afternoon, a second one on Saturday evening and one on Sunday for brunch.
That meant she was working all weekend and her new shift in schedule, she’d have to go for four days without seeing Max – unless she invited him over Monday after work. The mere thought of having him over to her place and making him dinner and just…being alone…sent tingles down her spine.
“Note to self – invite Max to dinner,” she murmured and then went back to scanning the menus for the weekend.
The morning flew by and when Willow came over a little before lunch, Ellie was more than ready to hit the kitchens.
“Are you ready to do a little tasting and a lot of sitting around and watching people cook?” Willow asked with a grin.
“Absolutely!” Ellie agreed. “I spent about an hour looking over all of the menus for the weekend and I’m surprised there isn’t a puddle of drool on my desk!”
Willow laughed. “Trust me, they’re all even better than they sound.”
Standing, Ellie followed Wil
low out of the office and down the hall to the lobby. “Any run-ins with Harry and Monica?”
“A close encounter yesterday, but I managed to duck out of the way in time.”
“They asked to come in and ask some questions today so I set up their appointment for after lunch and Ari’s going to handle them. Guests aren’t allowed in the kitchen so you won’t have to worry about dealing with them.”
“I really am sorry about all of this, Willow. This was not the first impression I wanted you to have of me. I’m kind of embarrassed.”
Willow stopped and waited for Ellie to face her. “I’m a fairly decent judge of character and let me tell you what I see. I see a strong and intelligent woman who clearly dodged a bullet and she’s doing a damn fine job of creating a new life for herself.”
“Thank you.”
“And I see a rather shallow couple,” she went on, her voice slightly lowered, “who are really rubbing a lot of people the wrong way. While I don’t normally agree with having to alter your life in order to avoid an awkward situation, in this case it’s completely warranted.”
Ellie breathed a little sigh of relief at her boss’s kind words. “I’m just glad all couples aren’t this demanding.”
“I don’t think this has anything to do with them being demanding. I think Monica knows you’re here and she’s just trying to find you so she can try to rub it in that they’re getting married. She’s little more than an over-indulged brat.”
“Willow!” Ellie said, giggling.
In response, Willow simply shrugged. “Come on, let’s go take a quick look at the new arbor we’re setting up and then we’ll head over to the kitchen.”
“Sounds like a plan!”
Together they walked outside and Ellie shielded her eyes for a moment to block out the sunlight. There was a small crew off to the right setting up the tent and beside them another crew was putting the arbor together.
“I can’t believe how many different kinds of arbors there are or how specific people can be when they request one, but I have to admit, I think this new one is going to be my favorite,” Willow said as she walked toward it.
Ellie was about to follow when she saw Max heading her way. She gave him a small wave and a smile and sighed at the sight of him. His hair was mussed and his dark t-shirt and khakis shouldn’t be the least bit sexy – but they were. He had on sunglasses and yet she knew he was looking at her in that way he had – and as usual, it left her tingly.
“Inspecting the work again?” he teased when he got close. Ellie wished she could kiss him but with so many people around, she didn’t think it would be appropriate.
“Willow and I are on kitchen duty today. I’m going to learn how to oversee the menus and the kitchen for our events.”
“Will you get lunch out of it?”
“And dessert,” Willow said as she walked over, smiling. “Hi, Max.”
“Hey, Willow. So kitchen duty today, huh?”
She nodded in response. “We’re hoping to have Ellie well-versed in all areas of the business so she’ll be able to step in wherever she’s needed. And to see where she’s the best fit. It works best when we’re all well-rounded in our skills. Of course we all have our strengths and weaknesses, but in a pinch, we all pitch in where we can.”
“You have an amazing system, Willow. Everyone here thinks so,” Max said.
“Thank you,” she replied, clearly pleased with the praise. “So I was wondering if…”
When Willow stopped talking, Ellie turned and looked around. She heard the voices too and groaned. “I’ll just go around the long way to the kitchen,” she said quickly and then squealed with shock when Willow gave her a hard shove into the tent. She stumbled and almost fell, with one of her shoes coming off in the process. Bending over, she slipped off the other one since she was on the sand and was just about to straighten when Max slammed into her. His arms immediately banded around her waist to steady them both. Reaching out he pulled a cord that closed part of the opening in the tent and guided her toward the corner.
“Not our most gracious escape,” she whispered.
Max chuckled, resting his forehead against hers. “No, but the end result is just as good,” he murmured, placing a soft kiss on her lips.
“Mmm…when I saw you walking toward me, I was thinking how I wish I could kiss you. I didn’t want to do it in front of everyone.”
“There’s no one in here right now.” His voice was low and gruff and delicious.
“It would seem that way…”
Looping her arms around his neck, she went up on tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. As far as kisses went, it was fairly chaste. There were a lot of people milling around on the outside of the tent and really, she wanted to know when the coast was clear.
“…Ariel is expecting you both at one,” she heard Willow saying. “Have you had a chance to explore the resort? Maybe check in at the front desk and see if any of the villas are available for you to tour? Maybe you can even pick one for your wedding night!”
“Well…we were going to…” Monica began.
“Or maybe go on a hot air balloon ride! The view from one of those is spectacular! And it’s a great way to see the island! I’m sure I can get you a complimentary tour since you’re a future Barefoot Brides wedding,” Willow went on.
“Actually,” Harry interrupted, “I was hoping to get Monica an appointment at the spa. One of those packages where she gets a massage and pampered for an afternoon. Do you think you can help us arrange that for this afternoon?”
“Absolutely! Follow me inside and I’ll help you get set up with an appointment and then I need to head off to one of my own.” Willow’s voice began to fade and Ellie and Max waited a solid minute before he poked his head out of the tent to make sure the coast was clear.
He gave Ellie the thumbs up signal and she stepped outside with him. “Maybe I should just let them see me and get it over with,” she said. “It’s going to happen eventually.”
“And miss out on all the fun we have every time you hide?” he teased. “No way! I look forward to moments like this!”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re crazy. You know that, right?”
“Nah. I just like any excuse to get you alone and kiss you,” he said, his tone light.
“Speaking of being alone…I was wondering if you wanted to come to dinner on Monday. I’ll have off and I thought I could make us some dinner and we can just…stay in and relax.”
Why not just wear a sign that says “This is an excuse for sex”? Ellie silently mocked herself.
“I’d like that a lot, Ellie. Thank you.”
“Good,” she smiled and then looked around and saw Willow heading back toward them. “I guess she got them settled and it’s time to hit the kitchen. I’ll see you later.”
He nodded, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Yes you will.”
****
The next day was borderline chaos as far as Max was concerned. There was a weather system moving in that everyone had hoped would be a non-event. It meant the outdoor ceremony needed an indoor alternative. He lent a hand where he could – moving plants and flowers and doing whatever grunt work was needed to help everyone stay on schedule.
It wasn’t something new and it wasn’t simply because of Ellie. It was what they all did at Casa Blanca. Everyone helped out and it didn’t matter what department you were in or what your job title was. He’d seen Clay and Lacey planting shrubs and even caught them washing dishes a time or two. And if the owners were going to roll up their sleeves and pitch in, they all could.
“What’s going on here?”
Max didn’t have to turn to know whose snooty voice he was hearing. Plastering a pleasant smile on his face – she was a guest after all – he turned and faced Monica. “We’re moving things inside for tonight’s wedding. Rain is in the forecast and we don’t want to take a chance of the guests getting rained on.”
“Isn’t that what the tent is f
or?” she asked, her voice more than a little condescending.
“Guests would still have to get from the main building to the sand,” he said, continuing with his task and hoping she’d just go away.
Harry stepped up beside her. “What’s all this about?”
“It’s going to rain so they’re moving everything inside. I know I’d be pissed if that happened to us. If I’m paying for an outdoor wedding – a ceremony on the beach! – then that’s what I want!”
Harry sighed and for a minute, Max actually felt bad for the guy. “Monica, no one can control the weather. Not the wedding coordinators and not you. This seems like a perfectly fine alternative.”
“How do you know?” she snapped. “You haven’t seen where they’re moving everything to. For all you know it’s a tiny, cramped room!”
Another sigh from Harry. “Excuse me?”
Crap. Unfortunately, Max knew he was talking to him. “Yes?”
“Is there a way we could get a look at the room where the wedding is going to be?”
“’Fraid not,” Max said firmly. “There are a lot of people trying to get everything set up on short notice and we can’t allow guests to come wandering in.”
“But we’re going to be getting married here!” Monica cried. “We should be allowed to see what’s going on!”
Even though he knew it wasn’t his place, there was no way he was going to give in to these two. If Willow or Ari or Gussie ended up having a problem with the way he handled the situation, he’d talk to them about it. Later.
“I’m sorry, but no can do. If you have a problem, you’ll have to contact one of the owners of Barefoot Brides yourself. Now if you’ll excuse me…”
“You can’t stop us,” Monica said, her haughty tone back. “You’re no one who has any bearing on what goes on around here. You’re a gardener and how dare you tell us we can’t go inside and look around. When I find your boss, I’ll make sure you’re written up and punished for this.”
Was this woman for real? Punished? What was he, twelve? Putting the two potted plants down he’d been holding, Max took a step toward them and liked the fact that he towered over them both. “You go right ahead and do that,” he said, his voice deadly calm. “But if you go in there and get in anyone’s way and cause any issues where we can’t have the room ready for tonight’s wedding, I don’t think that will look so good for you having your wedding here.” He paused and glared. “But that’s your call. And you just think about how you’d like it if someone got in the way when it’s your wedding being set up.”
Seeking Forever Page 6
