“That ought to impress her.” Grandma gave a slight nod of approval and ate a cracker with cheese.
“I don’t think she’s easy to impress.”
“Good. You need to be kept on your toes.”
Joel shook his head and spotted Austin and Sam lying on the grass near the water. He needed a guy’s perspective or he’d wind up showing up at Tucker Lake with pink champagne and roses in hand.
“Have you learned your lesson?” he asked his brother Sam, knowing the answer was a clear no.
“There’s no reason in the world he deserves the last fritter before anyone else.” Sam laughed as he sat up and slid his shirt back on.
“That’s just how things work.” Joel slapped Austin’s shoulder and he nodded in agreement.
“I saw Grandma and Mom talking your ear off.” Sam glanced in their direction. “Were they pestering you about Autumn?”
“You could say that.” Joel took a seat next to his brothers.
The sun had started to set and Kyle was attempting to wrangle his daughter and her boyfriend out of the lake. Kyle’s fiancée was at the edge of the water holding towels and trying not laugh at her significant other.
“Have you told her yet?” Austin asked, and Joel shook his head. “You know the longer you go without bringing it up, the worse it’s going to look.”
“But she wasn’t close with her uncle,” Sam offered. “So it could be that she wouldn’t care at all.”
“True,” Joel admitted, but he found it highly unlikely.
Even though the transactions were all business, they did their best to make life comfortable for Fred Tucker at the end. They knew it wasn’t an easy choice for Fred, but they also knew it was the only choice he had, so the North brothers did their best to hold off on everything until he’d passed.
He had absolutely no idea what had put Fred in such a financial bind, but he hoped it wasn’t going to be anything that put Autumn in harm’s way.
“I’m gonna go to Tucker Lake tonight.” He glanced sideways at his brothers, halfway expecting to see a smirk or two, but they looked genuinely interested. “Watch the fireworks with her.”
“Then maybe tonight, you should tell her what you know,” Sam said, stretching toward the sky.
“Maybe.” He nodded in agreement and saw Kyle and Brooke making their way toward him. Or he could just enjoy kissing her again. He worried that doing one would lead to never getting to do the other again, but she deserved to know.
“On that note . . .” Joel stood and glanced toward the lake. “I think I’m going to head over to Tucker Park.”
“And miss out on our annual show, huh?” Austin stood up and leaned in for a quick hug. “Go get her, tiger.”
“You’re lucky I’m on my best behavior,” Joel whispered and slapped Austin’s back as Kyle and Brooke wound their way over.
“Where are you off to?” Brooke asked.
She had her arm looped through Kyle’s, and she looked like she was never going to let go. Joel wondered if Autumn would ever feel that way about him. Would she ever lean on him like that, let their worlds merge and the burdens of the world feel lighter solely because they were together?
“Tucker Park.”
“Is that so?” Kyle asked, grinning. “Looks like you’ve got it bad.”
“Ooh, Autumn’s there,” Brooke chimed in and chuckled. “Now, it’s all making sense. I’ve been hearing about this fireworks show all day.”
“Fireworks?” Joel repeated.
“Oh, yeah.” Kyle pulled Brooke in tighter. “The chemistry between you two is insane. Definite fireworks.”
Joel rolled his eyes, but he was actually surprised it was that obvious to others. All it took was being in the same room with Autumn and he felt like the universe was pushing them together. He couldn’t stop looking at her, and he wanted to be near her just so he could feel her next to him.
“Okay, well, be safe.” Joel gave his brother and Brooke quick hugs.
A renewed sense of energy rushed through him at the thought of seeing Autumn. Tonight was going to be the night where he would get everything out of the way. He whistled for Oscar, who came bounding toward him, and they made their way to the truck.
It wasn’t long before he was winding down the road into town. American flags hung from each of the light posts, and families still drifted toward Tucker Park for the firework show. He saw a hot dog stand, a cotton candy and popcorn shacks, and a smoothie station as he scoured the street to find parking.
It wasn’t long before he parallel parked by the flower shop and hopped out of the truck with Oscar. He kept his eyes peeled for any sign of Autumn and her friends as he and Oscar made their way inside the park. The lawn was covered with scattered blankets and families as everyone waited for the show. He looked toward the lake, still not seeing any sign of them, but laughter and music filled the air.
He’d been going to his family’s lake property for so long, he hadn’t been to a public display for ages. Seeing all the parents running after their toddlers and teenagers playing Frisbee made him nostalgic. One of the last times he’d been to a public fireworks show was actually when his father was still around, and it was here. His chest tightened.
As he made his way toward the lake, he heard her familiar laughter singing through the air. His gaze snapped in the direction of the sound, and his mind went completely blank at the sight of her.
She was in nothing more than a bikini top and a pair of shorts. It looked like she’d just gotten out of the water with her hair still dripping down her breasts and along the red fabric of her swimsuit.
This was a bad idea.
Just as he was about to turn around and try it again tomorrow, Oscar let out a startling howl, and all three women turned to look in his direction.
Dina and Tami waved Joel over as Autumn looked frozen in place. He looked at her expression and could tell she wasn’t exactly thrilled to see him. When he waved, she smiled, but there was something different about her.
“I didn’t know the fireworks were put on courtesy of the Silver Ridge Ski Resort.” Autumn smiled and bent down to scratch Oscar’s ear. “That’s pretty generous of the North family.”
Autumn looked up at him and the same warmth radiated from her as before. Whatever he thought he sensed must have been in his head.
“Silver Ridge has been a great town to us. You’ve got to see our Christmas tree lighting ceremony.”
“We might never leave,” Tami said, smiling.
Autumn reached over and grabbed a hoodie from the plaid blanket they had spread out on the lawn.
“I’m gonna go for a walk with Joel,” she told her friends as she zipped up the hoodie.
Joel caught the same look in her eyes as before and his chest tightened.
He went to call Oscar, but he’d already lain down next to Tami and Dina.
“This is a beautiful park,” Autumn said, looking up at him.
“It really is.” Joel nodded, slipping his hand over hers.
“I went into the museum.” She nodded in the direction of the buildings. “It’s pretty eye-opening.”
“Your family has a long history in Silver Ridge.” Joel felt her pull away, and they stopped by a small dock where several rowboats bobbed in the water.
She crossed her arms and took a step onto the dock. He followed her onto the narrow pathway and waited.
“My uncle seemed to have a lot of properties until recently.” Her eyes steadied on Joel’s, and he took a deep breath.
The night sky was rolling in and soon, brilliant colors would be peppering the sky. He’d imagined holding Autumn as they enjoyed the beautiful spectacle. Now, he got the distinct feeling that he’d be lucky if she didn’t push him off the dock.
He drew a breath and nodded. “He did.”
“But it looks like now, you do.”
“That’s correct. There are several properties that your uncle owned—your family owned—over the years, that we now own.” Joel
debated whether to tell her everything now or wait. She looked upset, and he wasn’t sure what he had to say would make her any less upset. In fact, it might make things worse.
“This isn’t how I expected tonight to go.” He glanced back to the shore and saw the families settling down on their blankets as people readied for the fireworks.
“What did you expect?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“I’d actually planned on talking to you tonight about the homes I showed you on Tucker Street,” he acknowledged.
“That’s why you’re here tonight?” she asked.
“Partly.” He nodded and shoved his fingers through his hair. “And I wanted to see you again.”
She clenched her jaw together and glanced toward her friends. “Have you been trying to butter me up to get at the B&B?”
Joel’s jaw nearly dropped to the lake water. “Are you serious?”
There were a lot of challenges in the world he’d thought about taking head on, but that B&B was never one of them. He knew what that old place entailed, and he certainly didn’t have the patience.
“Quite serious.” She nodded, her eyes settling on his.
“That thought never crossed my mind.”
She narrowed her eyes on him. “I saw the list of homes my uncle lost to you and your family.”
Joel’s eyes stayed on hers and he nodded. “There were many properties. Most of them, we’ve either sold or are renting out.”
“Why would you take advantage of someone like him?” She shifted her weight and continued to study Joel.
“We never would.” He scratched his jaw and nodded. “But I can see how it looks like that, at least on paper.”
“I thought you were so charming, telling me that you could get me inside those homes.” She shook her head. “Little did I know they’d been my uncle’s, and now you own them. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I guess I was trying to avoid this,” he answered honestly, but he saw that response was the wrong one.
Autumn straightened her posture and symphony music began playing. She took a few more steps down toward the edge of the dock as the first firework shot off into the inky sky. Silver and gold splattered over the sky as he stood next to her.
He leaned his mouth down to her ear so she could hear him over the music and explosions. He heard her breath catch from his closeness and he felt a slight amount of relief.
“Your uncle ran into hard times. I don’t know why or what made his life so difficult over the last ten years or so. None of my family knew the specifics, but he came to us for help.”
“Some help.” She whipped her head around to face Joel. The fire in her eyes was such a turn-on, and all he could do was keep his mouth shut so he didn’t wind up in the water. “You took all of his properties.”
“It wasn’t quite like that.” He looked toward the sky, debating whether to continue tonight or wait until she cooled off.
The music sped up and the silver sparkles in the sky switched to blues and greens.
It was a beautiful night, and he didn’t know what came over him. Joel knew she was upset with him, and maybe that made his desire for her even stronger. He didn’t know and probably never would understand what made him decide to take her in his arms and kiss her. The way she fit into his arms made the entire world fall away, and he knew that no matter what, he wanted to fight for this.
Chapter Sixteen
Autumn sipped her tea and sat in her dining room.
“I still can’t believe you pushed him into the lake,” Dina scolded her.
“He deserved it.” Autumn did feel bad about it, and she wasn’t entirely sure what had come over her, but in the water he went, and she didn’t even wait for him to pop back out.
“It was the middle of the night. He could have drowned.” Dina shook her head and glanced out the window, where several workers were finishing up Autumn’s front porch.
After the raccoon family was relocated, the workers were able to replace the last few supports and create a safe and cute porch for human guests. It was a small step toward her overall goal but a really important one. A B&B needed a front entrance and a way for guests to get to it without feeling like they were on a carnival ride.
“So why are you pretending like you don’t care?” Tami asked, bringing in a plate of bagels and cream cheese to share.
“Why would I care?” Autumn shrugged and reached for a chive and onion bagel. “And it wasn’t in the middle of the night. It was only ten o’clock.”
“You care because you’ve fallen for him and you shoved him into a lake in front of the entire town.” Tami ignored the other portion of her statement.
“I have not fallen for him.” She rolled her eyes and took a bite of the fresh bagel. “And it was dark. I’m sure no one saw.”
Tami slapped down the town newspaper on the dining room table to reveal a photo of Joel North climbing out of the lake with fireworks blazing in the sky behind him. Autumn was nowhere in sight, but several women had rushed to help him with blankets and towels in their hands.
How considerate.
A twinge of jealousy surfaced, but she quickly pushed it away as she pretended not to notice every detail in the photograph.
Like the fact that even after she pushed him in, he climbed out of the freezing water smiling with clothes clinging to his beautifully defined body that she might never get the chance to see because she’d let her fiery temper take over. She fully blamed her mom for that.
“So what did he say to make you so mad?” Dina asked.
None of them had spoken about the incident since they’d driven home.
“It wasn’t what he said. It was what he did.”
“And what did he do?” Dina’s brows scrunched together.
“He kissed me.”
“God forbid.” Tami rolled her eyes and Dina started laughing. “This small town thing is getting to your head.”
“What in the world are you talking about?” Autumn asked, shoving the paper away.
“A sexy-as-hell man leaves his family’s annual party to come see you. You’re in the middle of the most romantic setting ever. He leans over to kiss you and you push him in the water? It makes no sense.” Dina took a bite of her bagel. “You were willing to put up with no-personality Ronald, but this one you decide to drown?”
“I didn’t drown him.” But Dina had made a good point.
Autumn let out a sigh. “Yesterday, I found some documents signed by my uncle in the basement. It looks like Joel’s family took away most, if not all, of his properties.” She chewed her bottom lip and let out another heavy sigh. “He never mentioned it.”
“That is kind of odd,” Tami agreed, taking a sip of her coffee.
“He was kind of telling me about the properties last night at the park, but I feel like it’s only because he knew I’d found out.” Autumn glanced at the photo on the front page again and her stomach clenched.
Why in the world did she push him off the dock?
What actually made her do it?
“I can’t believe I did that.” Autumn hung her head. “And I still don’t know what all Joel was trying to tell me.”
“It’s not too late to find out.” Dina motioned toward the front door, and Autumn nodded.
“If he’ll want to speak to me.” She grabbed the paper and held it tightly. “Thanks to me, he made the front page.”
“Well, you’ve never been boring.” Dina chuckled. “This will give him a taste of years to come.”
“Please.” Autumn rolled her eyes. “I don’t go around pushing people into vast bodies of water all the time.”
“No.” Tami took a bite of the bagel. “But you have booked a flight to Belize to avoid a second date. You’ve sent me on one of your blind dates more than once.”
“And I wound up with a drink in my lap the first time we met.” Dina smiled fondly at the memory.
“I didn’t throw the drink at you. I tripped.” Autumn laughed and felt so
much better having her friends here.
“You didn’t know this uncle, right?” Dina asked, her voice softening.
“Correct. He and my dad were estranged.” Autumn drew in a steady breath. “Actually, it seems like my dad was estranged from more than my uncle. It was like he’d turned his back on his entire history.”
“Maybe Joel holds more answers than you know,” Dina prompted. “Maybe things are more complicated than you realize, and he was trying to protect you.”
“And you dunked him in the frigid mountain water.” Tami chuckled “Typical.”
Dina’s expression became solemn. “Do you think that’s why we’re all still single?”
“We try to drown our dates?” Tami giggled. “That could be it.”
“I wasn’t trying to drown him. Just shock some sense into him.” Autumn giggled and stood up. “Okay, I’m going to go over there and I don’t know what . . . say sorry or maybe—”
“Hear what he has to say?” Tami was still laughing.
“Yeah, maybe that.” She glanced toward the front door and then the kitchen before taking off for the side door. “A contractor is coming this morning to start on the drywall issues. He knows where to go in case I’m not back in time.” She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her friends who were holding in giggles. “You guys are stuck in high school.”
“You know you love us.” Dina smiled as she took another bite of her bagel, and Autumn nodded, nearly bounding toward the side door, but she stopped at the coffee pot and filled a mug with steaming coffee.
“You know I do.”
When Autumn found herself practicing all the things she wanted to say at Joel’s front door, she knew she was in trouble. After the fourth failed run-through, she lifted her hand to the door and knocked a few times. She had to go through with it.
She heard Oscar barking in the back of the house and waited a minute or so before knocking again.
This time, Joel opened the door and stood staring at her.
He looked extremely sexy and dry, like he’d just recently rolled out of bed. He was wearing a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.
Happy Truth About Love: Island County Spinoff Series (Silver Ridge Series Book 1) Page 15
