by Meredith, MK
She sprayed one of the many windows that provided a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the ocean, his home, and the town.
The dreamy smile on her face turned her lips up in a gentle curve that left a shallow dimple in her left cheek as she scrubbed at the glass.
“What are you doing?”
She grinned at him over her shoulder. “Archer and I used to help Maxine wash the windows on our visits. Keeps the view crystal clear.”
He grabbed a towel and stepped alongside her.
She squirted the window in front of him then continued with her work.
He shifted his gaze to the ocean. It was breathtaking, and in any other lighthouse, he might enjoy it. He scrubbed the window she had sprayed, and his gaze followed the line of the coast from south to north. It was beautiful. “Didn’t grandmother hire someone for maintenance?”
“The groundskeeper helped out but he already had so much on his plate. The lighthouse isn’t active as far as the Coast Guard is concerned anymore, but she liked to keep the light burning. It helps that it’s a stationary lens. Less upkeep. No mercury.” She handed him the Windex then ran her fingertips over the ridges of one large lens, leaving his body to tighten as he imagined those hands on him.
He took the bottle, squeezing just a little too hard and squirting a stream of blue liquid onto the floor.
She eyed the spot on the concrete that now looked like a Rorschach inkblot test, then focused on him before turning her attention back to the waters of the North Cove.
“The building itself has been maintained just as well as the house. She used to have her lunch out here at times, and once in while she and her Mavens have had some of their slumber parties here during the summer.”
Oh, he remembered. It secretly warmed his heart that his grandmother kept up such antics, but he wasn’t telling Maxine that. She’d find some way to use it against him. But he remembered seeing her profile dancing around with a lampshade on her head more than once as a kid.
And it gave him an idea.
“And she lit the lamp every evening for a long time, but recently scaled back to bad weather nights. I loved seeing the glow from my house. Made me feel less alone. It’s been dark since she moved to town.” She frowned.
“Well, that is something I can fix.”
“Really?”
The possibilities rolled about in his head. It would be a great asset to the planned community of the Cape. He’d rent it out for guests of community members, for weddings, graduations, and the like, and the money could go back into the grounds for upkeep and operational costs.
“Absolutely.”
Not to mention, the view of the town would entice visitors to check it out, which was always good for the economy. Judge Carter would love that. “Thank you,” he added and didn’t even try to cover up the smugness dripping from his words.
She narrowed her eyes. “For what?”
He chuckled in answer and rubbed his hands together. She nudged him in the side with her elbow, making him wince.
She shot her hands out, dropping her supplies. “Oh shit. I’m so sorry.”
“Why do I get the feeling that you’re going to cause me a lot of pain before this is all said and done?”
She studied him then dropped her hand gently against his ribs. The heat of her palm burning through the fabric of his shirt made him want to pull away in self-preservation, but nothing short of a hurricane was moving him from her touch.
With a whisper, she said, “I really don’t want to hurt you. I can tell you’ve already experienced enough to last a lifetime.”
Her scent wafted about, slowing down his brain. She moved to step away, but his hand slid over hers, holding it in place. Shifting closer, he ran his eyes over her face then he took off her cap.
Her breath hitched and her eyes dilated into dark orbs with a bright green halo but she didn’t move away. Heat radiated in the space between their chests like a bridge of possibility.
Seconds ticked by. His heart slammed in his chest and his mouth watered with the thought of brushing his lips against hers.
“Then don’t.” He leaned closer.
And she yelped.
Jerking away, Ryker tried to assess what the fuck had just happened but the blood rushing through his head and other parts of his body left him dazed and confused.
“What in the hell?”
She swatted at the air. “I’m sorry.”
A light buzzing met his ears and two bees flew around their heads then off through a cracked window.
“They may have made a nest. They wouldn’t need to but we saw the other day that their hives are overfilling.”
Larkin hopped around the railing to the other side.
“Whoa, be careful. You’re going to go over and that fall will be a hell of a lot worse than a hundred bee stings.”
“Says you.” Her eyes were wild as she rushed to the top of the ladder.
To her credit, she tried to pull in a calming breath, but a bee buzzed past her head and she muffled a scream behind her hand.
Making his way around the railing, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”
With strength that always surprised him, Larkin gripped his arms like a vice and moved in step. She squirmed against him in her attempt to avoid the bees as he maneuvered the ladder to the top floor.
Her elbow caught his side and he grunted. “Calm down.”
“I’m trying.”
“You’re going to get us both killed.” He shifted her weight until she was over one shoulder then used the railing to navigate the stairs. He’d bet a month’s salary she’d be pissed later, once she had a chance to reflect on the situation, but right now he had to get her down the stairs without getting them both killed.
Unfortunately, the bees were pissed and a few more joined the crew. She hid her face against his back at one point, then tried to climb down, swatting at the air in blind defense. Thank God, she wasn’t more robust, or they’d have met their demise at the bottom of the lighthouse.
“Quit squirming.” He breathed through each kick of her legs and swing of her arms.
“Get me out of here.”
Finally, he pushed open the door and deposited her on the ground, where she immediately bolted away. She ran halfway across the grass between the lighthouse and the waters of the north cove. Turning toward him, she struggled for breath, her hands on her knees. “Why are they so mad?”
He glanced back toward the top of the lighthouse, hiding his grin. “I need to check all the boxes. I’m not exactly sure, but I have an idea.”
With her long hair blowing around her face and her jacket hanging off her shoulders, she looked like she’d lost a fight standing or maybe won one between the sheets. His body liked the second idea a lot better.
“Are you okay now?” he asked, walking toward her.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me,” she demanded.
He placed a hand on his chest not bothering to suppress his humor this time. “Never. Now tell me. You okay?”
Larkin nodded but she still had a wild look in her eyes and her lips turned down at the corners. It stirred something inside of him. He wanted to scoop her up and hold her tight. Soothe away her worries. Which was a problem, just like almost kissing her had been. He needed to pull his shit together. Though her fear of bees was ridiculous, he found it oddly endearing. She’d stood up to his raging about like an ass on Friday, then run from a tiny insect today.
“Thank you for the gift.”
Her eyes wavered but stayed on his. “You’re welcome.”
“Still love the Cape?” he teased.
She scowled. “It’s everything to me.”
He held her gaze. “But it’s everything to me, too.”
Chapter 7
Larkin tried to shake the image of full lips and a day’s facial scruff from her brain as she pulled up a few loose weeds then tossed them into a pile along the edge of the North Cove Garden, but
it wouldn’t let go. With the back of her hand, she shoved her hair from her eyes and leaned back on her haunches. At least the garden was coming along. Once they finished grooming it, the magic would start, and the South Cove Garden wouldn’t stand a chance.
She’d count it as a win. By the end of the day, she planned for her second win to be cataloging the butterflies, lizards, and bees she’d seen with Ryker last week—hopefully without running into the man himself. She needed a chance to process her reaction to him in the lighthouse. If the bees hadn’t swarmed, she’d had every intention of leaning into those full lips of his and finding out if they felt as amazing as they looked.
After her ridiculous tantrum, however, there was no way that opportunity would ever come again. Men didn’t lust after women who ran from bees like a toddler. In the end, it was probably for the best. She had a job to do, and that job was stopping the man in question from selling his home. Not jumping his bones. She didn’t have time to screw around with someone like Ryker.
The three remaining weeks she had to perform her analysis would go by fast, but it gave the ladies of Cape Van Buren way too long to speculate on her every move.
Blayne, cute as a pin-up model in her striped tube top and overalls with her dark hair wrapped up in a bandana that sported yellow chicks, gaped at her with her red-painted mouth hanging wide open.
“What are you staring at?” Larkin glanced down at the front of her coral “love” t-shirt and green cargo shorts, an awful feeling of dread rising in her gut. Had she said all that out loud?
“Don’t play dumb with me. You don’t get to announce Ryker almost kissed you then act like nothing happened,” Blayne whispered with feeling.
“What was that, honey?” Janice, Maxine’s best friend and the unanimously-voted Garden Queen, crawled closer on her hands and knees, her red curls bouncing about her face. That woman had a nose for news and eyes for details. No bloodhound in New England had anything over Janice Brennan.
Heat raced up Larkin’s chest. The last thing she needed was any news of this getting back to Maxine. That would be her second fail in two days since her whole plan yesterday of making Ryker fall in love with the Cape crashed and burned in a fiery blaze of bees and mortification.
She shook her head. “Oh, nothing, Miss Janice. I was just telling Blayne that I stopped out at the Cape yesterday to set up my schedule to do my analysis and I caught Ryker just as he was heading to town.”
Her friend nodded with a look of impressed approval and mouthed nice behind Janice’s back.
“What’s this? You were spending time with Ryker yesterday?” This came from Evette Kingsley, the owner of North Cove Confectionery and cupcake maker extraordinaire. She was tall and thin and had always reminded Larkin of Popeye’s wife, Olive Oyl. The interest in the women’s faces would have been comical if they’d been focused on someone else.
Larkin stood, brushing soil from her pants. “Ladies, the only reason I’ll be going to the Cape is to work on getting it declared as conservation land. Period.”
“Oh, yeah. Mitch was telling me all about that.” Janice nodded. “Ryker’s pissed. Can’t really blame him.” Then she shrugged. “That boy has been dealt more than his fair share of pain out on that Cape, as much as I love it myself.”
Guilt wound its way tightly along Larkin’s shoulders. She didn’t want to hurt him but she didn’t want him to destroy the precious spot either.
“And from what Mitch says, he’s got a wicked smart team behind him. So watch your back, sweetie.” Her lips dipped down at the corners and she rubbed Larkin’s arm. “What are you going to do if the court decides in his favor?”
A heavy dread filled her stomach. The idea of losing the Cape, losing the well, felt like losing Archer all over again. Tears stung the back of her lids but she blinked them away. Janice was right. As hospitable as Ryker may or may not be, she could not let down her guard.
She’d forgotten he had a whole arsenal at his disposal. The only thing she had was Maxine’s character reference and the law. And the latter was only temporary.
Evette tsked. “This is the most drama we’ve had since Shelly Anne tried to say her coffee was better than mine.”
Janice, Blayne, and Larkin looked everywhere but at Evette, pretending not to hear her. Picking up a yard bag, Larkin shoved handfuls of weeds into it. “Look, it would help a lot if you ladies keep the whispers of any of this to a minimum. The last thing I need is the town getting involved. I just want to protect the Cape.”
Maxine walked up. “Oh, honey, if you wanted to keep this quiet, you should have never talked to Judge Carter. That man gossips more than a salon full of blue hairs.”
“Maxine! You’re…”
The silver-haired fox nailed Blayne with a look. “I’m what…exactly?”
Waving her hands helplessly in front of her chest, Blayne glanced at Larkin.
Stepping between them, Larkin kissed Maxine’s cheek. “Dating the man.”
“Ha! Dating him doesn’t mean he’s perfect, just that he has good taste.”
“I’m just saying this is a sensitive topic. I don’t want Ryker to have to hear about it when he comes into town. He’s mad at me enough as it is.”
“Almost kissing you doesn’t seem mad to me,” Blayne said then slapped her hand over her mouth.
All the blood left Larkin’s extremities. What in the hell was wrong with her friends these days?
Maxine’s eyes brightened with way more interest than there should have been. “What’s this?”
Larkin threw out her hands. “Nothing. That is not what happened. He merely helped me escape some bees.” She set the yard waste bag at the edge of the garden. “I’ve got to go. There are a few supplies I need to pick up before heading out to collect my data.”
“Condoms?” Janice asked in an innocent tone, then let loose a cackle of laughter, taking Evette and Maxine along with her.
“You guys!” Larkin cried. She hadn’t even thought of sex in over two years—well, she hadn’t before meeting Ryker anyway—and the idea that these ladies had her jumping into his bed unsettled her in more ways than she could handle.
Maxine slapped her friend on the back and laughed. “Oh, Janice. I like the way you think.”
Larkin blinked twice. “Maxine, he’s your grandson.” What was happening? She wanted to silence the gossip not cause more.
“Exactly.” She templed her fingers, tapping them together as if concocting a diabolical plan.
Larkin had no idea what had gotten into her friend lately. Well, besides a new lease in town and on life. At least someone was getting lucky.
She had to get away from these women before they said anything worse—if there was such a thing. “I have to grab supplies for soil analysis and water tests.” She shook her head. “I’m going over to Get Cookin’ for some storage containers.” She rebelled at having to explain, but with the way these ladies rolled, there’d be gossip about registering for her wedding if she wasn’t careful. They had opinions about everyone, some more factual than others.
Blayne pulled off her work gloves. “Want some company?”
“Because you’ve been such a big help so far?” Larkin glared at her.
Evette stepped in front of them. “But we’re not done weeding and pruning. The Garden Festival is in two weeks. We have to win back our rightful place in first place from the South Cove Madams. I’m sick of them parading around with their medals when they come in for cupcakes.”
“They won fair and square last year.” Blayne reminded her.
Janice snorted. “There is nothing fair about sabotage.”
Larkin waved and stepped onto the sidewalk. “I can help later but I have to get out to the Cape before dark.”
Maxine, Evette, and Janice were back in the thick of the garden before Blayne even caught up.
“You don’t have to come with me.”
Blayne laughed. “Please, you’re doing me the favor. I need to get to the rink today. Besides,
those three scare me sometimes.”
“That’s because you’re smart.” Larkin locked eyes with her. “Usually.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” She nudged her. “But for the love of god, tell me what the bleedin hell happened.”
Larkin groaned. “I don’t know.” She shrugged as they crossed over Garden Parkway NW, then Garden Parkway SE, to the sidewalk leading to the kitchen supply store. “We were just talking and I mentioned that I wasn’t trying to hurt him.”
“Oh, that’s your first mistake. Don’t let him see any weakness, any softness. He’ll use it against you. I’m sorry to say it, but this is war, Lark. You have to treat it as such.”
“But it doesn’t have to be. I don’t want it to be. I just want to save the Cape, to be able to continue going to the well.” Her chest tightened. “I can’t lose this tie with Archer. I had him for such a short time as it is.”
Her friend rubbed her shoulder. “Then don’t. Don’t let him win. What happened to him as a boy was brutal, but that was his father, not the Cape.”
“Yeah, but try telling him that.”
Blayne was right. Staying on her toes with Ryker and his team was paramount. If she gave even a little, they’d bury her. She had to stay focused; she had to collect her data. Science would win every time as long as she gave it the effort it deserved.
She made quick work with her purchases in the supply store then joined Blayne back out on the sidewalk once again, checking her phone with a frown.
“What’s going on?” Blayne asked.
She gave a non-committal grunt as she slipped the phone into her pocket.
They made their way down Van Buren Boulevard toward the Flat Iron Coffeehouse. “Let’s grab a quick espresso, then I have to organize my plans and head over to the Cape before Ryker locks the gate.”
They passed ETA, the local entertainment and travel agency, then Delizioso, Cape Van Buren’s always-busy and always-mouthwatering Italian restaurant. Both women breathed in deep through their noses.
“God, maybe we should skip the Flat Iron and do tiramisu at Delizioso’s.”
