“Initially I thought, well, he just needs time to get used to the idea. I’ll use my sexy superpowers to slay him.” Nell tried for a smile, failed. “Seems pretty naive now. I should have stuck to what I know. I’m just not cut out for the long term stuff.”
Amy frowned. “Nell, it might not work out with Paul, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on finding someone.”
“Please.” Nell laughed. “The very day I swear that I’m done with the one-night stands, what do I do? I fuck another guy.”
Hannah squeezed her hand. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You were hurting.”
Nell frowned. “I mean, sure, it’s not like Paul said, ‘Oh, let me think about this,’ and I said, ‘While you’re thinking about it, I’m going to do some bed hopping.’ We had no commitments. I just…I could barely describe to Paul how I felt about him. I’m not good at this stuff. That morning with Adrian? You know my philosophy—no regrets, no shame. But, I felt ashamed. He was sitting there without his shirt on, and I’d just gotten out of the shower—”
“Oh, do go on,” purred Hannah, and Nell laughed, appreciating her attempt at lightening the mood.
“Anyway,” she continued. “It was awkward, and it’s never awkward for me. But even with all that? I was turned on. If he’d touched me…I’m not sure I would have resisted. I didn’t even need a real commitment to make me freak out—just talking about it made me crazy.”
“Wellll…the man might have had something to do with that,” commented Hannah. When Nell rolled her eyes, she shook her head. “No, seriously. I like my Tall Drink of Water, and yeah, I joke about him but really, Nell. He’s also funny, charming, talented…”
“Hannah’s going for him if you don’t,” Amy said, grinning, laughing when Hannah just shook her head. “I get what Hannah’s saying. I don’t think you should throw away all hopes of a long-term relationship just because you got drunk on a really shitty day and slept with a guy—who, by the way, wasn’t a stranger you picked up at the bar. You turned to a guy you could trust.”
Nell buried her head in her hands. “Oh, God. I’m going to see him in the grocery store. Here. Everywhere. This is why I don’t sleep with men on the Island. Now I have to avoid Paul and Adrian.”
Amy smacked her arm. “Did you hear anything I said? He’s a super nice guy. You know he’s creating a piece of art for the farmers’ market and donating it to the Island? His pieces sell for thousands and thousands of dollars.”
“They do?” Nell knew he was famous, but thousands of dollars? “What’s it look like?”
“I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you,” Amy said with a grin. “He swore me to secrecy.”
“We digress.” Nell drained her coffee, set the mug down with a thump. “I really, really, really don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m wallowing, and its annoying me.”
“It’s okay to have feelings,” said Hannah.
“Ugh.” Nell made a face. “Highly overrated. I’m heading to work.”
She squared her shoulders, stood up, took stock. And realized she actually did feel less crappy. Not great. But still. She leaned down, gave Amy a quick hug, then a longer one to Hannah, murmuring, “I’m sorry I violated the friendship rules.”
“Don’t do it again,” she sniffed, but she hugged Nell back.
“Thanks. Really. See, this is why women are just so much better than men,” she said.
Nell left, giving herself a mental pep talk as she walked to her car. She’d move on from Paul. And, Adrian would be in Seattle for a while longer, so by the time she saw him again, it’d be like their night together hadn’t happened.
After all, it was just one night. He’d probably forgotten already.
Chapter 4
Adrian woke from a dream involving a naked and wet Nell, tropical ocean waves crashing over them as he entered her, to find the movement that he thought was the ocean was in fact, his two nieces bouncing up and down on his mattress.
“Unca Adee, Unca Adee!” squealed Zoe, her wispy curls flying around her face as she bounced.
Lila stopped jumping when she saw he was awake and crawled up to wrap her arms around his neck, resting her cheek against his. She smelled of baby shampoo from her bath the night before, milk, and Cheerios, and Adrian held on tight, kissing her face until she giggled.
“Home!” Zoe said, jumping and landing her bottom.
“That’s right,” Adrian agreed, snagging her around the waist and snuggling with both girls for the morning cuddle that had become their routine over the past week. Olivia had declared the remodeling project at their home at the “intolerable” stage. When Agata learned they planned on checking into a hotel for a week, she’d insisted they stay with her. This bumped Adrian from the tiny guest room to an air mattress in the attic, but as the bonus was the most adorable wake up call he’d ever had, he couldn’t complain.
Today, however, the contractors were finished, and Olivia and Alex were heading home. Adrian smelled a tantalizing whiff of his mom’s homemade doughnuts, one of the girls’ favorites.
“Smells like doughnuts,” he said, delighted when both girls’ eyes widened with joy. They abandoned him without a qualm, toddling over to the staircase and sitting down on their bottoms so they could inch down step by step while holding hands.
“Nana, Nana, Nana, Nana!” they both yelled on their way down.
Adrian smiled when he heard his mom let out one of her big belly laughs. Keeping Agata at home and quiet to recuperate had been one hell of a challenge—after the first few days when she was off the pain medication, she’d insisted he go home. He’d ignored her and sneakily got her hooked on the latest TV serial drama about a post-apocalyptic world populated by vampires. While rolling her eyes at the concept, she’d settled down halfway through the first episode and insisted on watching four more in one sitting. A few days of binge TV watching did the trick, with Alex popping over now and then to cook hearty, filling dinners. Then Olivia brought over a giant box of photos of the twins’ first year, as well as stack of artwork, two empty “first year” memory books and another scrapbook, pleading for Agata to help her. That occupied her until the twins moved in—thankfully, they loved Nana’s big bed, and Alex encouraged them to snuggle with Nana and read stories.
And now, Adrian reflected as he stood under the lukewarm water of the shower—his penalty for being the last to get up—it was time to think about heading home himself. After he dressed and went to the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee, he stood looking out the window at the cold, gray sky, rain pelting down on the tips of the few Seattle skyscrapers that he could see from his mom’s quiet residential neighborhood. He missed the play of light on the water in MacKaye Harbor, the seagulls screaming, the wind blowing through the trees. And, while he’d been sketching quite a bit—the twins, his brother and sister-in-law, and especially his mom—his hands itched to get back to work with his welding torch.
He followed the sound of voices to the dining room, where he found his aunt Sofia and Alex sitting at the table with his mom and the twins, the plate of chocolate glazed doughnuts already half gone.
“Gluttons,” Adrian accused, grabbing a plate and slapping back Alex’s hand as he went for seconds. “Leave some for me.”
“There’s plenty,” Alex retorted, slapping back.
“Now boys,” said Sofia, sharing an amused look with Agata.
Adrian leaned down to kiss his aunt’s cheek, sat down next to her.
“How’d the shoot go?”
Sofia tucked her chin length black hair behind her ears. Her lips were a bit thinner than Agata’s, her cheeks fuller, but she shared the same dark brown, expressive eyes as her younger sister.
“The light was good.”
“Always with the light,” grumbled Agata, wiping the twins’ hands clean. “How did Hanif react?”
“Shy at first,” Sofia said. “Like you said. So I put the camera down and just asked him to talk about how he came to the U.S. fro
m Kenya. I told him the story of how I moved here when I was about his age, but alone and without a family. I asked him how Un Refugio had helped him and his wife, and then we talked about their baby girl. I explained this was his chance to give back. And then…”
She pushed her empty plate away, stood up. “Well, I’ll show you.”
Sofia left and returned with her digital camera, scrolled through until she found the image she wanted, and beckoned Adrian closer. Hanif sat in the courtyard of Un Refugio, a wide smile on his thin face, teeth gleaming in the soft light, eyes lit up. He held a picture of an adorable newborn swaddled in a fabric covered in a traditional African motif.
“Beautiful,” Adrian murmured, noting not only the man’s sweet personality shining through but the play of the light on his skin, the balanced composition.
Agata motioned for the camera, stared at the image for a long moment, then nodded, a wide smile creasing her face. Sofia, well into her career as a noted photographer, was donating her time to the center to help document the newly arrived refugees. The photos would be shown in an exhibit at an exclusive art gallery in Seattle, and Un Refugio planned on using the opening as a fundraiser.
“I am going into work today,” Agata announced, tilting up her chin and squaring her shoulders.
Adrian met Alex’s eyes across the table, held a silent conversation with his twin, then shrugged.
“Half a day.”
“Dios, you are not the boss of me,” she started, when Alex leaned over, cupped her cheek.
“Half a day, Mama. We worry about you.”
“Don’t try to manipulate me, young man,” she huffed, but Adrian noted the softening in her eyes.
“Half a day, Agata,” agreed Sofia, smiling when her sister threw up her hands, muttering.
“Thanks for the breakfast, Mama.” Alex kissed her cheek. “Have fun being amongst grown ups for a change.”
“Hey,” protested Adrian. “I’ve been here the whole time, too.”
Alex smirked. “Exactly.”
“Here, let me walk you out,” Adrian announced, and Alex chuckled, ducking away when Adrian rounded the table and tried to get him in a headlock.
“Not in the dining room,” Agata said, calm.
Zoe and Lila dissolved into giggles at the sight of their uncle and father wrestling. Since the girls were there, Adrian pretended to let Alex knock him to the ground, while Agata swatted them both with a towel before wiping off the twins’ hands.
“Out. Out, you two.”
“Be good, you monsters,” Alex said, grabbing the twins in a bear hug and peppering them with kisses.
Adrian followed him outside and closed the front door behind him.
“She’ll be okay,” Alex noted.
Adrian nodded. “It’s time for her to get back into her groove.”
“And, for you to go home?” Alex asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Soon, yeah. I need to work on pieces for the exhibit. And, I miss being home.” Unbidden, the image of Nell flashed through his mind.
“Ah. There’s finally a woman.”
“What?” Adrian shook his head, never ceasing to be amazed at how quickly they could read each other. “Not really. I told you, I want to settle down, have a family. Raise my own little monsters.”
“But…” Alex leaned against his car, smug.
Adrian sighed. “I did sleep with this woman from the Island. The day Mama was in the car accident…it messed with my head. You know.”
Alex nodded, touched him on the arm. “Yeah. I know. It was days before I could stop hugging Olivia and the girls too tightly.”
“We met up in the bar. One thing led to another…”
“You still got it, bro,” Alex laughed, then sobered. “Are you beating yourself up about it? It was a hard day.”
“No. Maybe at first. It was awkward, and she clearly felt upset the next morning, even though she tried to hide it.” Had fled the room as if from the scene of a crime, he recalled. “But she was…incredible.”
“Thinking about her?”
“Yeah.” Adrian nodded.
“Then, fix it. Ask her out on a date. I mean, it’s a bit backwards, but it could work.”
“This one, she’s totally commitment phobic,” Adrian laughed. “In a legendary way.”
Alex shrugged. “There’s no harm in one last fling, right? Get her out of your system. Work on your art before the show. Then when the exhibit opens, you both move on. No harm, no foul.”
“My impression is she keeps her life pretty compartmentalized,” Adrian said. “The Island is so small—it’d be pretty obvious if we had something going on.”
“So?”
Adrian considered this. So, what? And persuading her around to his idea of casually dating might be…fun. He began to smile.
Alex laughed, gave him a quick hug. “I gotta go to work. Simon called in sick today.”
“Maybe I’ll tell Mama to meet me for lunch—the one on 4th?”
Alex owned a restaurant in downtown Seattle, but since the twins had been born, had scaled back his hours and now just worked a few days a week at one of the two food carts he also owned. The one on 4th was best known for its fish and chips, with a spicy Mexican twist.
“Perfect,” Alex said. “That way she’ll have to leave work early.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Adrian waved as Alex drove off, then pulled out his phone, weighing the familiar pull of his family and the pull to be back home, alone, working on his art. When he heard Agata hollering at him for leaving his dirty plate in the sink, he smiled and thought, “Oh, yeah. She’s back.” He shot off a text to Nell and arranged a flight home in two days.
***
Adrian followed the bright yellow plane as it descended from the sky, wings steady. Nell landed it with barely a splash, and Adrian marveled at the grace with which she piloted it through the water and to the dock. He extended a hand to help her out, but she ignored it and hopped down to the dock, securing the plane with quick, competent movements.
“How’s your mom?” she asked right off, without bothering with a “hello.” He liked her all the more for it.
“Bossy. Complaining. Back to her usual self,” he said with a grin, following her to the cargo hold.
Nell stopped and shot him a quick smile, her dark brown eyes warming. “I’m so glad, Adrian.”
She turned back to the plane and bent down to haul boxes of cargo onto the dock. Adrian admired the curve of her ass in the dark wash jeans, which fit her like a glove. She wore a charcoal gray hoodie with long sleeves and thumb holes. A dark green baseball cap covered the pixie spikes of her dark hair and shaded her face, which was bare of makeup. He found the confident efficiency with which she moved nearly as sexy as her seductive tiger on the prowl look. And, wondered what she might be wearing under the utilitarian clothes.
“What is this stuff?” he asked as he moved in next to her and helped her stack the boxes.
She spared him a brief glance, shifted slightly away from him. “Coffee from the roasters on San Juan Island. Wine. I’ve got to take back gardening supplies for my mom, and equipment for the winery. Shouldn’t take long for them to drop it off here.”
“I’ve got time. What kind of equipment?” he asked.
“They’re going to try their hand at brewing beer as well,” she said.
“Sign me up to test the batches.”
Nell smiled. “I already called dibs on that.”
No sooner had they unloaded the cargo when a forklift came trundling down the dock to pick up the coffee. Nell signed off on the delivery, then loaded the wine on the next lift. Her phone beeped, and she frowned as she read the text.
“The delivery for the equipment is delayed by an hour. Sorry about that.”
Luck was with him, thought Adrian, delighted.
“Let’s grab some lunch,” he suggested, hiding a smile when she looked up with a wary expression.
“I’ve got stuff to do,�
�� she began when his phone beeped as well.
He smiled when he saw it was a movie file from Olivia. Clicking “play,” he laughed as the twins came on screen and Zoe yelled out, “Miss Unca Adee! Miss you!” He traced the curve of their digital chubby cheeks with his finger, half tempted to give up on the idea of lunch with Nell and drive back for one more hug.
“Aw.” Nell grinned when he showed her the clip. She studied him. “Sad to leave your family?”
“Yeah.” He pocketed the phone. “I like having a bit of distance from them but at the same time, I don’t. You know?”
“Yep. I think about moving to one of the other Islands to get some space from the moms, but then I realize I’d miss them like crazy, even if they were just 20 minutes away.” She started to reach out her hand, as if to rub his arm, then seemed to think better of it. “I’m sure they loved having you visit for a few weeks.”
Adrian heaved a sigh, glanced over at her. “I think the only thing that would cheer me up is if you had lunch with me.”
Nell snorted. “Please.” Still, her lips curved.
“I’m very sensitive,” he insisted with his most charming smile. “I’m an artist, after all.”
When she hesitated, he went in for the kill.
“Afraid to be alone with me?”
Sure enough, her eyes narrowed. “Of course not.”
“Great,” he said, hooking her arm through his before she could move away. “I’ll try to stop myself from ripping your clothes off over pasta if you’ll do the same. Or, maybe seafood? What should we have?”
“I’ll try to control myself,” she said with a laugh, seeming to give in to the situation. “Why don’t we keep it simple? There’s a place nearby that has some great wood-fired pizzas.”
“Sold.”
Adrian kept up light small talk on the short walk to the restaurant, noticing Nell relax by slow degrees. After they were seated at a booth at a cute neighborhood bistro, they ordered individual pizzas. He sat back, amused at himself when he hardened at the sight of Nell’s unpainted lips closing around the straw in her soda. Yeah, he had it bad.
Love in the Air: Lopez Island Series #2 Page 5
