Accidental Love on Meadow Cove Lane (Island County Series Book 10)

by Karice Bolton

  “What are you doing?” I asked, looking into his hazel eyes.

  “I couldn’t quite hear you with the music so loud,” he said, his voice lowering. “I needed you closer.”

  “I’ll speak louder.” I grinned, not wanting him to let go.

  “I still can’t hear you very well,” he said, leaning his head down.

  His gaze fell to my mouth once more, and my entire body felt like it would fall into his if I even so much as breathed.

  “I should probably head out,” I nearly whispered. “I’ve got a ferry to catch.”

  Shane ran his finger along my neck, and every part of my body lit up like a firecracker.

  “Are you sure?” His mouth was only inches away from mine.

  “Positive,” I said breathlessly.

  “It’s still early.” His arm loosened slightly.

  “Not when you live by a ferry schedule.” I drew a breath and swallowed the desire that had been building since I first argued with this man in the middle of a wedding ceremony.

  “Don’t you at least want to wait for the bouquet toss?”

  I stepped away and tried to get my bearings back. A romp with him tonight would be nothing more than a fun escape that would haunt me for years to come.

  Nope. Not happening.

  “I’d probably catch the flowers, and then you’d use that to your advantage telling me how catching it was no coincidence. I’d have another martini or a glass of champagne and then I’d be done for.” I smiled. “Not thinking clearly and falling for your shallow lines.”

  “Sounds good to me.” He laughed.

  “I thought it might, but I have an early morning and there’s a line of taxis waiting outside the hotel.”

  “Let me guess.” He grinned. “You’re one of those yoga practicing hippies who grows her own food on the island, gets up at the butt crack of dawn and—”

  I held up my hand. “Whoa. You’re the one on the ranch. And while I’m quite flexible, I don’t have the courage to balance on one foot while extending the other one toward the ceiling.”

  “Now that’s an image I’m glad I have firmly in my mind.”

  My hands flew to my hips, and I stared at him. He was infuriatingly good-looking, cocky, and totally forward in a way that nearly unhinged me in a completely inappropriate way.

  “Who even calls people hippies any longer anyhow?”

  “It seems to have ruffled your feathers.” He chuckled, and I loved hearing the low hum of his voice.

  “It didn’t ruffle any feathers. It’s just an antiquated term. It’s like calling me a yuppie.”

  “So which are you?”

  “Neither.”

  He took a step forward, and I felt the energy between us intensify in a completely illogical way.

  He dropped his mouth near my ear and whispered, “Would you at least give me one dance before you go?”

  My entire body trembled from his words, and I wanted to skip the dance and head for a hotel room upstairs.

  “No.”

  “Please.”

  I let out a wistful sigh and couldn’t hide my smile.

  “One dance. That’s it. As a relative.”

  “You have my word. But you’re not a relative.” He held up his hand in a quick vow before leading me onto the dance floor just as a slow song came on.

  Sammi immediately saw the two of us and quickly tapped her dad’s shoulder, which paralyzed me with embarrassment as he glided Cynthia over to us.

  “I’m only keeping the unruly guests amused,” I assured them.

  “He’s got a short attention span.” Cynthia laughed. “But I appreciate you keeping him distracted.”

  “Hey, now. Is that how you treat your big brother?” Shane teased.

  Cynthia only smiled as Charles whisked her away, and Shane circled his arms around my waist.

  The slow beat of the song matched our rhythm as we swayed back and forth, and I fought every second of this moment. It felt too good.

  “Holding you this close feels right, doesn’t it?” he asked as my body fell deeper into his embrace.

  I ran my hands up his muscular arms and circled my arms around his neck, feeling the heat run between us. The beat of his heart felt comforting as I laid my head against his chest, and I knew there was no way I could sleep with this man casually.

  He slid his hand up my back and clutched one of my hands in his and brought me into his embrace as we continued to dance. I tilted my head and our eyes connected as our bodies swayed with one another even long after the slow song ended.

  I hadn’t realized I’d even closed my eyes until the microphone crackled and an announcement for the wedding bouquet toss was announced.

  “Uh-oh,” Shane whispered. “Is my plan about to come to fruition?”

  I giggled, and my lids fluttered open, but I didn’t want to leave his embrace even though the dance floor had completely cleared.

  “Okay, Ladies. I need all the single women on the dance floor immediately.”

  “Isn’t that you?” Shane asked innocently.

  “You are so rotten.” I narrowed my eyes up at him as I took a step back.

  “No, just hopeful.”

  “For what in particular, Mr. Parker?”

  “Just one night.”

  His words sent a tingle straight to my heart, and I felt my pulse quicken at the thought of our bodies tangled together. I shut my eyes, drew a breath, and regained my resolve to stay away. He’d obviously played this card before. He was too smooth, too direct.

  “I’ll go out there, but if I catch it, don’t think for a minute the rest of your plan is going to fall into place.” I smoothed my hands down my skirt. “I have a guiding set of principles I live by.”

  “I’d love to hear about those someday.” His eyes twinkled with mischief, and I turned on my heels and walked over to the group of huddled, excited women readying themselves for the big event.

  Sammi spotted me and ran over to grab my hand and pull me right next to her, smack dab in the middle of the screaming women.

  This was a tradition I’d always managed to avoid at these things. Nothing worse than the poor, ex-girlfriend being the one to catch the bouquet, but nothing tonight had been going as planned.

  Charles was waving from the sidelines with a thumbs-up sign as his beautiful bride held the rose bouquet and turned around as the countdown began. Everything turned into a blur as a slow motion turn of events began playing out in front of me.

  The rose bouquet hurled into the air, crashing into the ceiling, before slowly falling back down with missing petals and broken stems. Women began jumping into the air and falling onto the dance floor all around Sammi and me.

  It wasn’t until I heard Sammi squeal and saw her fall backward onto a heap of ladies that I realized the bouquet was heading right for me. I attempted to run away, but I tripped over Sammi’s leg in an attempt to get away exactly when another woman lunged for the roses, but it was too late.

  The bouquet somehow landed right in my hands, but before I knew what had happened, the brunette, who had narrowly missed her chance at being the bouquet catcher, glared at me and ripped the bouquet from my hands.

  Sammi sprang up from the pile of women and snatched the bouquet back from the woman who’d been clutching it and put it back in my hands. I’d never seen such aggression before, and I glanced at the newlywed couple and gave a limp smile.

  Charles started laughing, and Cynthia started yelling at the woman who’d been trying to steal the bouquet away from Cynthia’s stepdaughter.

  Shane clapped his hands as he sauntered over, eyeing the bouquet.

  I tossed the broken flowers in his direction, and he caught it one-handed as Sammi chuckled.

  “Is there a love connection going on?” Sammi asked staring between her new uncle and myself.

  “Absolutely not,” I assured her.

  This was no way to represent myself to a fourteen-year-old girl.

  “Oh, come on. Ever
yone knows what happens at weddings.” Sammi wiggled her brows and I gasped in horror.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, young lady.”

  “Yes, you do.” Sammi laughed as I shooed her back toward her dad.

  “I have never seen a woman try to avoid catching the bouquet like that before. You do know you caused the whole pileup, right?” Shane laughed, still holding the roses.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Yeah, actually. That was all you.” He threw an affectionate smile in my direction as he stared at the aftermath of petals, stems, and leaves left on the floor. “In your hurry to get away from the falling arrangement, you tripped the lady behind you and that started it all.”

  “It did not.”

  “I’m sure the videographer caught it all. Not to worry.” He handed me the remnants of the bouquet, and I took it back. “So, where do we go from here?”

  “We don’t go anywhere. But I do need to head home. I have a busy morning.”

  “Let me at least walk you out.” Shane slid his hand along my back and another wave of longing drilled through me. It didn’t matter if it was mostly the alcohol creating this mess of emotions in me or not. The point was that I wanted to skip the taxi and head upstairs with him, but never in a million years would I allow that to happen.

  “Fine.” I gave a quick nod and tried to distance myself, but he somehow slid his large hand over mine as we walked out of the reception hall.

  We walked through the lobby of the hotel, and I spotted several taxis lined up outside. I drew a silent breath as we walked through the doors to the sidewalk.

  “So, maybe I’ll see you this weekend on Fireweed.” He smiled as I looked up into his eyes.

  “Doubtful.”

  “I’m pretty resourceful, and I do have an in with my brother-in-law.”

  “So do I.” I giggled. “And he wouldn’t betray me like that.”

  “We’ll see.” His eyes steadied on mine, and it felt like the entire city stood still as his lips met mine, and I experienced the most deliciously skilled kiss of my entire life.

  Chapter Four

  I woke up with a pounding headache and a heart heavy with regret, but not for the reason a person might think.

  I never should have had so much to drink. I never should have let Shane Parker kiss me.

  That was what I regretted.

  Because now I had a very important client meeting I was already running late for.

  I let out a groan and shoved off my floral quilt. It was the same quilt I’d had since I was sixteen made for me by grandma, Grandma Betty. We called it the heartbreak quilt because it was something she quilted for me right after I found out my best friend made out with my boyfriend.

  I remember curling up with it night after night, shedding tears and stories of revenge. In the meantime, my brother blissfully dated Emilia all though school. Then she turned out to be the woman who would ultimately break his heart and scar him for life.

  Hmm… Maybe there were many reasons why I never went the distance with relationships.

  I stood up and stretched, feeling the cool morning breeze drift into my bedroom from the window I’d left open and let out a deep breath as I tried to get my bearings. The room was slightly off-kilter after my night of drinking, and now I had to get my stuff together so I didn’t blow this commission.

  There weren’t that many opportunities for stained glass installations on Fireweed. So, most of my work took place off the island. But this potential job was different. Someone had bought an old church that sat off of Meadow Cove Lane. It was a beautiful piece of property that had a Fireweed meadow surrounding the building while sitting on a cliff over a bluff.

  There were so many inlets, bays, and coves around this island that it was easy to get lost in the beauty of living here and take it for granted, but I drank it in for inspiration. Between Fireweed and Silver Ridge up in the mountains, I had plenty of places to draw on for beauty.

  But none of that mattered if I showed up looking like the disheveled mess I felt like. I dashed to my closet and found a pair of white slacks and matching blazer along with a pale pink silk camisole. Hopefully, it wouldn’t get too hot today or the camisole would show every ounce of nervousness.

  I groaned and glanced toward the bathroom and then the clock.

  There was no way I had enough time to shower and do my hair. But I was sure I smelled like a sloppy wedding guest. Not exactly the image I wanted to present.

  I grabbed the clothes and darted to the bathroom and jumped in the cold shower, careful not to get my hair wet, and lathered my body with the quickest wash in the history of bathing. I jumped out before the water even turned warm and dressed quickly. I ran a comb through my hair, dabbed some mascara on and swept my hair into a ponytail.

  I think there was more than one reason for that cold shower, but Shane Parker was nothing but a distant memory. It wasn’t like I hadn’t met attractive men before. They were a dime a dozen.

  Shoot. I specialized in good-looking men.

  So, why was I even giving Shane Parker another thought?

  I wasn’t.

  I mean, I wouldn’t. He was history.

  I just needed to be extra cautious while roaming around town on the off chance he was actually going to be spending the rest of the weekend on Fireweed Island. I honestly didn’t buy his story. The wedding was in downtown Seattle at a beautiful hotel in the heart of the city surrounded by all the attractions that came with it, nightclubs included.

  Coming to Fireweed wouldn’t exactly be the best idea for a single man as eager as he was to bang, as he put it.

  I chuckled and shook my head as I grabbed my purse and sketches. I’d really dodged a bullet with Shane.

  By the time I climbed in my car and headed down the road, I couldn’t stop thinking about Shane Parker, and it was absolutely maddening that he snuck into my mind so easily.

  And that I remembered so many little things about him that I never ever cared to notice before on a man.

  Like how the fine lines deepened around his eyes when he laughed or how the whiskers along his jaw were darker than the ones on his cheeks or that while he had the straightest teeth humanly possible, there was one turned slightly to the right.

  I groaned and shook my head. “These are all things I shouldn’t be remembering. What I should be remembering is how he tricked me, how he had a one-track mind, and that he laid on the one-liners super thick.” I smacked the steering wheel with my palm.

  “Exactly. He was extremely annoying. So annoying that he’s making me talk to myself.”

  I turned on the radio in hopes that a song would distract me, but as fate would have it, the song Shane and I danced to echoed in my car, but instead of switching channels, I thought about how good it felt to be in Shane’s arms.

  It had definitely been too long between men. I was craving anyone’s touch.

  That was precisely it.

  It wouldn’t have mattered if it were Shane Parker or Joe Blow. It’s just about time to have a rendezvous or something to remind myself I’m still human.

  As I turned down the lane to the old stone church, I let out a deep breath and commended myself on finally recognizing I needed to step away from the glass for a night or two and have a little bit of fun. I just needed to make sure whoever I sprang on wasn’t related to any ex’s because that list was seemingly growing longer and more complex.

  It was still spring on Fireweed, but it was toward the end of the cool season, and the usually hot pink Fireweed were brown from the winter’s freezing temperatures. It wouldn’t be long before it was a meadow of blazing pink flowers and nasty summer thunderstorms. So really, it was probably better if I executed my plan before the crazy island weather set in. I didn’t want to have to do the ferry ride of shame in the middle of a storm.

  Perfect. It was decided. I’d wrangle up Tess, one of my single friends, and head to Seattle for a night of…

  Something.

&nbs
p; It had been so long since I’d met a man, I wasn’t even sure what to do.

  I was too old to go hang out in a club and a bar just seemed—

  Lonely?

  “Ugh.” I spotted the ancient stone church and laughed. Here I was rolling up to a place of worship devising how I could have a one-night stand. I’d probably turn to flames once I stepped inside.

  Seeing an SUV parked near the front entrance, I drove over and took a deep breath, hoping they weren’t waiting too long.

  I turned off the car and glanced at the note I had on my sketches. I was meeting some representatives from a development company called Lark Construction. They didn’t know who would be meeting me here due to some scheduling conflicts, so I had no name to go on until I got inside. I only hoped whoever they were, they liked my designs.

  I said a little prayer and climbed out of my car, sketches and purse in hand, as the salty sea breeze swept along my face. The view was spectacular. The church was set just far enough back from the cliff that I didn’t feel like I could tumble down into the ocean, but it was close enough to hear the waves crashing against the rugged terrain below. While there were some areas of Fireweed Island that offered beaches, they were few and far between and generally came full of pebbles and sharp rocks to navigate along.

  My phone buzzed, and I dug it out of my bag as I made my way to the entrance of the church.

  It was a text from Tess.

  Hey, you. Another wedding for the record books. Why haven’t I heard the details? Did you get lucky-lol? Anyway, are we still on for dinner tonight? Hugs!

  I chuckled and hit the smiley face emoji and typed yes before I turned my cellphone off and pulled on the oversized wooden doors leading inside the church. The doors were heavy with age and salt from the years of being next to the sea.

  The air inside the church was musty with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon. The doors shut behind me with a thud as I glanced at the stone floors and walls of the foyer. Old bronze candelabras stood in the one far corner and a burgundy wool rug centered the small space. The building looked as if it had been transplanted from the English countryside, and I was instantly in love with the space. I hadn’t gotten much information about what the new owners planned on doing with the property, but the possibilities were endless.