Moonlight Cove

by Sherryl Woods

  “Really?” she said, looking impressed. “And you chose me? Why?”

  “Truthfully?”

  “Of course.”

  “I wanted to check out my criteria for myself, and you seemed like the least threatening opportunity to do that,” he admitted. “Worst case scenario, if it turned out to be a total bust, I figured we could laugh about it.”

  “I’m not sure if there’s a compliment buried in there somewhere or not,” she said.

  “Probably pretty deeply,” Will said, chuckling.

  “So, how about the other couples? Anything look as if it’s working out?”

  “The early feedback has been very positive,” he said. “My criteria seem to be working, at least for strangers. Several people have told me they’re on their third—and, in one case, a fourth—date with the first person they were matched with.”

  “So what was the criteria that made you match yourself up with me?” Laila asked, then studied him intently. “Instead of Jess, for instance? She applied the same day I did.”

  Will couldn’t deny that he’d considered exactly that. After all, it was the perfect opportunity to nudge Jess into thinking of him in a different way. He just hadn’t been quite ready for the humiliation of having her laugh hysterically at the suggestion that they go on a date.

  “Jess and I don’t really click,” he said carefully.

  “According to these criteria of yours?” Laila pressed.

  Will squirmed. “Not exactly. I left myself out of the mix when I ran her data through the computer.”

  Laila looked surprised. “Why?”

  “Like I said, I already knew we didn’t click.”

  “But we do, according to the computer?” Laila repeated.

  He nodded. “You and I had at least a half dozen or more things in common, similar interests, ambitions and so on.”

  She gave him an amused look. “Sounds as if we’re a match made in heaven.”

  “Who knows? We could be.” He held her gaze, hoping he’d feel something, even a hint of the chemistry he felt when he was in a room with Jess. There was nothing. It didn’t mean his criteria were off. It just meant he had no quantifiable way to measure attraction, and even he knew that was a key ingredient in any relationship.

  After an awkward moment, he changed the subject, asking her opinion of a variety of economic and banking issues. Laila, he discovered, could hold her own when it came to such a debate. She was informed, opinionated and direct, all good traits to his way of thinking. They’d finished dessert before he realized that the time was late and he was due back at his office for his next appointment.

  “This was fun,” he said, meaning it. “I’d love to have lunch again sometime.”

  “So would I,” she said, “but next time it’s on me.”

  Will saw the declaration for what it was, an offer of friendship. Since he’d been thinking along the same lines, he was relieved. “It’s a deal.”

  “But not a date,” she responded. “Forget your stupid computer, Will. Ask Jess out. You know she’s the one you want. She always has been.”

  He frowned at the statement. “We’re not suited.”

  Laila waved off the comment. “Says who?”

  “Mostly Jess,” he confessed.

  “You’ve actually asked her out and she’s blown you off?”

  “Well, no, but she’s made it abundantly clear that I make her uncomfortable.”

  “That’s exactly what Jess needs, someone who can shake her up,” Laila said. “Stop wasting your time trying to find a replacement who’ll never measure up. Go for the real thing.” She gave him a hug. “That’s my advice to you.” She grinned. “And lucky for you, I don’t charge your hourly rates for it.”

  She strode off down the street, leaving Will to stare after her and wonder why she couldn’t have been the one. Candid, no-nonsense Laila Riley was a whole lot less complicated than Jess O’Brien would ever be.

  He sighed. That, of course, was the problem. He apparently liked complications. Unfortunately, that was probably going to be his downfall.

  Connie’s first official blind date was with an accountant in Annapolis, a single father whose children, like Jenny, were away at college. On paper, he’d sounded great. Their email exchanges had revealed several other things they had in common, including a love of the water. She’d anticipated an enjoyable lunch, maybe some stimulating conversation, even if it didn’t go any further than that.

  Since she’d agreed to drive to Annapolis, she’d decided to go early and stop by Thomas O’Brien’s foundation offices to touch base on their fundraising efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Even though it was a Saturday morning, she knew she’d find Jess’s uncle at work. His workaholic reputation was widely recognized. When she tapped on his office door, he glanced up from the papers on his desk and beamed at her.

  “Now, if you aren’t exactly what I needed on this dreary morning,” he said, removing his reading glasses and putting aside his pen. “What brings you to Annapolis?”

  Connie’s pulse leapt at the enthusiasm in his voice, even though she’d told herself a thousand times that it was his gratitude for her efforts for the foundation and nothing more.

  “I have a date,” she admitted, wrinkling her nose. “A blind date, at that.”

  He sat back, a look of astonishment on his face. “Now tell me why a lovely woman like you would be going on a blind date?”

  “I signed up for an online dating service,” she said sheepishly. “Jess and Laila did, too.”

  “All three of you?” He gave a sad shake of his head. “I can’t imagine what the men of Chesapeake Shores are thinking if you’re resorting to an online dating service.” Still, he looked vaguely intrigued. “And is this your first date?”

  Connie nodded. “To be honest, I’m a little nervous.”

  “In this day and age, that’s perfectly understandable. Maybe you should reconsider.”

  “I can’t just not show up,” she protested. “That would be rude.”

  “Then I’ll come with you,” he said decisively. “Not on the date, of course, but just to be nearby in case there’s a problem.”

  She studied him oddly. “You’d do that?”

  “I feel obligated to, as a matter of fact. Someone needs to look out for you, and we’re practically family.”

  She laughed at the serious note in his voice. “Do you know how old I am?”

  “I have some idea. What’s your point?”

  “That I’m old enough to look out for myself.”

  “Not if this man turns out to be some kind of smooth-talking predator,” he insisted, his jaw set determinedly.

  “Why am I starting to think that stopping by here was a bad idea?” she said, amused despite herself at his overly protective attitude. And maybe a little touched, if she were to be totally honest.

  He smiled at her, the smile that always made her toes curl. “Since you obviously aren’t here for my protection, why did you stop by?”

  To see that smile, for one thing, she thought but didn’t dare say. Her conflicted feelings for Thomas O’Brien were a constant source of dismay to her. She couldn’t imagine them ever going anywhere. At the same time, she couldn’t seem to stay away. She was drawn to his passion for his work, his caring personality, his wicked sense of humor…to him, for that matter.

  “I haven’t seen you since the last of the summer events,” she said. “I wanted to catch up on how fundraising is going and see what I can do to help over the winter.”

  “Now I’ve had a few ideas about that,” he said at once. “Why don’t we go a bit early to this lunch of yours and have coffee while we wait for your date to arrive? Once I’ve met him and seen for myself that he means no harm, I’ll fade into the woodwork,” he promised.

  Connie could see all sorts of things potentially disastrous about that plan, but she couldn’t seem to tell him to forget it. Coffee with Thomas sounded a whole lot better, frankly, than lunch with a total s
tranger.

  “That would be great,” she said.

  They walked to the restaurant her date had suggested, chose a table overlooking the nearby Severn River and ordered coffee. Connie was so engrossed in what Thomas had to say, she barely noticed when another man approached the table and stood looking down at them with an irritated expression on his face.

  “You’re Connie Collins?” he asked.

  She jumped guiltily. “I am. Steve Lorton?”

  He nodded, then scowled at Thomas. “Am I interrupting?”

  “Of course not,” Connie said before Thomas could reply. He had an oddly territorial look on his face that she didn’t quite trust. She introduced the two men. “Thomas and I were just discussing the latest progress in his foundation’s efforts to protect the bay. I’ve been doing some volunteer work for him.”

  Steve looked somewhat mollified by the explanation, but when Thomas made no move to leave, he was forced to drag a chair over from a nearby table. He sat down next to Connie, as if to claim her for his own. Connie couldn’t recall the last time she’d been caught in a turf war between two men, if ever, but she discovered she didn’t like it nearly as much as she’d always imagined she might.

  “Thomas was just leaving,” she announced pointedly, though, to her dismay, he didn’t seem to be budging.

  “I’m sure Steve won’t mind if I stick around a little longer,” Thomas said.

  His jaw was set in a way Connie recognized. She’d seen it on other O’Brien men often enough.

  She was about to push him to leave, anyway, when he added, “There are several more things we need to discuss, Connie.”

  Connie stared at him in confusion. “What things?”

  “Our plans for next weekend, in fact.”

  Now she really was confused. “We have plans?”

  “We do,” he said emphatically, staring down Steve as he said it.

  Steve stood up so suddenly his chair fell over. “Look, I had no idea you were already involved with someone,” he said to Connie, his gaze accusing. “You should have told me.”

  Before she could defend herself, he turned and left without another word.

  She stared after him, then whirled on Thomas. “Why would you do that? Why would you deliberately chase him off?”

  “I didn’t like him,” he said, without even a hint of remorse.

  She stared at him incredulously. “I think the point of going on this date was to find out if I’d like him.”

  “You wouldn’t have,” Thomas predicted. “He’s too self-absorbed.”

  “You could tell that from the two minutes he was sitting here?”

  “I could tell that when there wasn’t the slightest spark of interest in his eyes when you mentioned protecting the bay.”

  She couldn’t deny that. Still, she felt compelled to say, “I think you might be a bit biased when it comes to the bay. Not everyone is as passionate about what you do as you are.”

  He held her gaze. “You are,” he said quietly. “Can you honestly tell me you’d be seriously interested in a man who doesn’t care about his surroundings?”

  “Probably not, but you don’t get to decide that,” she replied.

  “I did you a favor,” he said stubbornly.

  She sighed. She could tell she wasn’t going to win this argument. To be honest, she wasn’t all that unhappy about what he’d done, not if it gave the two of them more time together. She wasn’t sure she liked what that said about her state of mind, but there it was, the honest-to-God truth.

  “Let’s say I accept that you thought you were doing me a favor,” she said. “I drove all this way to have lunch. Does that mean you’re treating me now?”

  His expression brightened and his booming laugh drew smiles from those at nearby tables. “I think it’s the least I can do,” he agreed readily.

  “And what about those plans we supposedly have for next weekend?” she asked, suddenly feeling daring in a way she hadn’t in a very long time.

  “Dinner at Brady’s on Saturday night?” he suggested.

  Despite the little zing of anticipation that rushed through her at the suggestion, Connie hesitated. “Brady’s? Are you sure about that?”

  “O’Brien turf?” he asked, proving he understood exactly what her concerns were.

  “Pretty much.”

  “Well, I can’t very well ask you to drive back to Annapolis, can I? We’ll just have to find someplace down there that my family hasn’t discovered. Chesapeake Shores isn’t the only town with restaurants. Leave it to me.”

  “Okay,” she said, her hands suddenly shaking so badly she had to set her menu back on the table. Just to be sure she wasn’t misinterpreting what was going on here, she forced herself to meet his gaze.

  “Is this a date, Thomas? Or a business meeting? I want to be clear.”

  He didn’t answer immediately. In fact, it looked as if he was struggling to decide. “The smart answer would be to call it a business meeting, wouldn’t it?” he said, regret in his voice.

  “It would probably be wise,” she agreed, not even trying to disguise her own disappointment. Then she reminded herself that she was over forty, not some shy little teenage wallflower. Thomas O’Brien was the first man in years who’d captured her attention. Why shouldn’t she throw caution to the wind? She looked him directly in the eyes then, and added, “But I’d really hoped it was a date.”

  His expression immediately lit up in a thoroughly gratifying way. “Then a date it is!” He hesitated, then said, “But—”

  “You don’t have to say it, Thomas. The family doesn’t need to know about any of this.”

  “Not that I think there’s anything wrong with the two of us going on a date,” he was quick to say.

  Connie laughed. “Believe me, I get it. Once unleashed, the meddling O’Briens are hard to contain.”

  “Exactly.” He picked up his menu. “Suddenly I’m starving. I think I’ll have the seafood platter. How about you?”

  Connie was pretty sure she wasn’t going to be able to eat a single bite. “A small house salad for me.”

  “Nonsense. You need some protein before you have to drive home. At least have the crabcakes. They’re excellent here.”

  She gave in because it made no sense to fight him. She knew she’d be regretting that salad halfway home when her stomach started growling. Still, she couldn’t let him have his way about it entirely. It would set a bad precedent with a man as strong-willed as he obviously was.

  “A crabcake sandwich, then,” she compromised.

  “Excellent!”

  She looked into his blue, blue eyes, sparkling with mirth, and thought she hadn’t been captivated by anyone like this as far back as she could remember, not even Jenny’s father. As much as she’d thought she loved Sam, he’d lacked strength, maturity, passion and compassion, all qualities Thomas personified.

  She was smitten, all right. If only the situation didn’t have the potential for heartbreak written all over it.

  3

  Ever since she’d found out that Lunch by the Bay was, indeed, Will’s new enterprise, Jess had been feeling more restless and out of sorts than usual. She’d been avoiding Laila’s calls as well, not sure she wanted to hear about how wonderful the date with Will had been. Jess knew, though, that she couldn’t put her friend off forever. In fact, it was childish that she’d done it this long.

  She walked into the inn’s kitchen, where Gail was preparing food for the picnic baskets that several of the guests had requested.

  “I’m going to take off for an hour or so,” Jess told her chef. “Call me on my cell phone if you need me.”

  “Who’s working out front?”

  “Ronnie’s got it.”

  Gail regarded her with surprise. “Boy, you must be anxious to get out of here. I thought you didn’t trust Ronnie to handle the desk.”

  Ronnie Forrest was in his early twenties, but he had the maturity of a preteen. His father, a friend of Mick’s, had
despaired of Ronnie ever getting a responsible job and holding on to it. Jess had been willing to take a chance on him, but so far the only task he handled without bungling was carrying bags for the guests. More often than not, he could be found in the main lounge watching TV, rather than doing any of the other chores assigned to him.

  As frustrating as his malingering was, on some level Jess could identify with him. She’d wondered more than once if he didn’t have an undiagnosed case of the same ADD that had plagued her life.

  Jess beamed at Gail. “Which is why you’re going to supervise him while I’m gone. You’re much tougher than I am. Maybe you can get him to take this job seriously.”

  Gail didn’t deny her toughness. However, with a lifted brow, she inquired, “And just how am I supposed to keep an eye on him from here in the kitchen?”

  “Transfer the calls to your line, if you want to, and bring him in here and assign him to peel onions,” Jess suggested. “Maybe he’ll start to figure out that my threats to fire him if he doesn’t shape up aren’t idle ones.”

  Gail regarded her with surprise. “You’ve actually told him his job’s on the line?”

  Jess nodded. “Last week. I had no choice after three people complained that no one had answered when they called to make reservations and I found him watching reruns of Law and Order.”

  “What’s your father going to say?”

  “I’ll tell him if he wants to give the guy a break, then he should hire him,” Jess said. “It might be best all around. Dad doesn’t tolerate anyone who doesn’t pull their weight on a job. Maybe he’ll even tell Ronnie’s father to get him tested for ADD, which is what I suspect is going on.”

  Gail studied her with surprise. “Seriously?”

  Jess nodded.

  “And that’s why you keep cutting him slack, despite the tough talk?”

  “More than likely,” Jess conceded with a sigh. “Meantime, he’s all yours. I’ll send him in here on my way out.”

  Of course, she didn’t find Ronnie in the lobby where he was supposed to be. Nor was he in the lounge. He was on the porch, an Orioles baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, sound asleep. The sight so ticked her off that she grabbed the back of the rocker in which he was seated and came close to upending him right off the porch and onto the lawn.