Island Refuge (Wildflower B&B Romance Book 1)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  The child’s bottom lip protruded. “I want to work with my dad. Can we stay here?”

  “How about we go to the park and then come back early for lunch?” She eyed the men. “Maybe they’ll let you help a little this afternoon.”

  Mitch shrugged. “That could work.”

  “Hold on a second.” Zoe flew into the kitchen and grabbed a canvas bag filled with a jug of water, apples, and a handful of individual cheese rounds, then raced back to the group. “I prepared a snack for you.” She had always been hungry as a child. The least she could do was make sure Aiden was well fed.

  “Thanks.” Rachel flashed a smile. “Let’s hit the road, kiddo.”

  Mitch nudged his son forward and handed a card to Rachel. “Here’s my cell number in case you have a problem.” He directed a raised brow toward his son. “Behave, and listen to Rachel.”

  “I will.” Aiden slipped his hand into Rachel’s and tugged. “Come on. I want to play.”

  Zoe shook her head at the Jekyll and Hyde behavior and marched up the stairs. Since Rachel was out this would be a perfect time to clean her room. She swung the door wide then stepped across to the bay window and opened one of the smaller windows.

  This wasn’t the day she normally cleaned their guest’s room, but surely the woman would appreciate her effort. She turned to grab her supplies, but stopped short. Spread on the table were several pictures of the B&B and not just any pictures. They were of her bedroom.

  Someone had been in her room, and that someone was Rachel. But why? Nothing was missing. She fingered a photo of the bombé chest, one of a lamp, another of the bed. Zoe’s knit sweater lay across it.

  Her stomach knotted. What should she do? It wasn’t like Rachel had stolen anything. She only took pictures. Though tempted to dig around on the table and see if there were more photos of other rooms in the house, she instead closed the window and made sure the table was exactly as it was when she entered.

  One thing was for sure, Nick needed to know. She rushed down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. Looking from side to side, she headed to the kitchen. She didn’t hear anything on the roof yet, so maybe Nick was in his apartment. She pushed through the kitchen door as the phone rang. After several rings with no answer she reached for the kitchen phone. “Wildflower Bed-and-Breakfast. May I help you?”

  The gentleman on the other end wanted to book a room for the following weekend. Zoe hesitated, unsure if Nick was taking guests. She suggested another date, and he took it. Surprised by his flexibility, she scribbled his information onto a scratch pad and hung up.

  Now to find Nick. Something crashed outside, and she raced to the window. Shingles dropped to the ground and hit the metal wheelbarrow. Guess he was up there after all. If she had to listen to that all day she’d have a headache for sure.

  There was no sense in alarming Nick yet. Rachel was a snoop, but that didn’t necessarily make her a danger to Aiden. But Zoe was worried enough that she decided to find Rachel and make sure the child was okay. No way would she allow a sneak like Rachel to be alone with Aiden whether she was dangerous or not. They could all play at the park together. She could try to get to know Rachel and maybe see what was really going on with her.

  Zoe grabbed her purse and keys and shot out the front door. She couldn’t hang around here all day, and the sooner she located Rachel the better.

  Glancing up she didn’t spot any debris raining down. She ran to her car half-afraid a flying shingle would pop her on the head. She gripped the door handle and slid inside. At least the top was up. Her breathing slowed when she realized that the men were on the back side of the house, and she was in no danger.

  She put the key in the ignition, and the engine purred to life. Surely Rachel and Aiden wouldn’t be too difficult to find. After all, it was a small island and there were only so many parks. Assuming that was where they were. Suddenly she didn’t trust a word Rachel had ever spoken and her pulse raced in a frenzy to find Aiden. What if she’d taken him from the island? Zoe couldn’t allow any harm to come to the boy.

  Her tires squealed on the main road as she accelerated and banked left out of the driveway. One way or another she’d find Mitch’s child.

  ****

  NICK STARTED AT the sound of squealing tires. He walked to the top of the roof’s pitch and shaded his eyes. Zoe’s red car sped toward town. He frowned.

  “I’m all for breaks, Nick, but don’t you think we should at least work up a sweat first?” Mitch teased from a few feet below.

  Nick turned and carefully walked down to his brother’s level. “Zoe’s driving like she’s on her way to a fire.” He shook his head and reached for a pile of old shingles. Hopefully she would make it back in one piece, but she tempted fate driving like that.

  “Speaking of Zoe, is there anything going on between the two of you?” Mitch kept his focus on the work at hand, but Nick knew it wasn’t a casual question.

  “Nothing.”

  “She’s good looking. You mind if I ask her out?”

  “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  Mitch stopped and stared. “I knew it. You like her. No worries. I’ll keep my distance.”

  “Give it a rest. If things don’t work out between you and her, I don’t want things to be awkward between us. I have to see her every day.”

  “Whatever you say. She’s off limits. No worries.”

  Nick eyed his brother and his shoulders relaxed. It was clear by the look on Mitch’s face he’d respect the request.

  “When’s the help you lined up getting here?”

  “Not sure. Chase said he’d be here thirty minutes ago.”

  “Hope he gets here soon. I’d like to have these shingles off and new tar paper down by day’s end.”

  “Tell me again why we are taking off the shingles. I’ve seen lots of people put the new ones over the old.”

  “When you had the home inspection done the report indicated a good deal of dry rot. We’ll replace the rotten boards and start fresh this way. I’m not surprised there’s rot. It looks like this roof has only been patched. I am surprised it held up this well after all these years.”

  “Be careful. I don’t want you falling through.”

  “No kidding. I have a lot of jobs lined up. Can’t afford to get injured. Did you hire someone to prep the house to be painted?”

  “Yes. They will start tomorrow. I didn’t think it would do any good to have them start until we were done with this part.”

  “Good.”

  Nick worked with Mitch in silence for what felt like hours. He heard the crunch of gravel and looked up, spotting Rachel with Zoe following close behind. Was Aiden in Zoe’s car? “You ready to take a lunch break?”

  Mitch ran his arm across his sweaty brow. “Sounds good. I grabbed some subs on my way here. I left the cooler in your apartment.”

  “Great.” Nick followed Mitch down the ladder and was more than happy to stand on solid earth again.

  Aiden raced toward them. “Dad, Uncle Nick, we watched the ferry. It was cool.”

  Nick looked past his nephew for Rachel and frowned when only Zoe rounded the house. “Where’s Rachel?”

  “She went to her room to rest.”

  The look on Zoe’s face made Nick uneasy, but he didn’t want to question her in front of his family. “Okay. Thanks.”

  Zoe shielded her eyes with her hand and gazed up. “You’ve accomplished a lot.”

  “Yes, but there is much more to do. We’d better head in.” Nick led the way in through the back door. “I’ll be downstairs in a minute.”

  As Aiden and Mitch descended the stairs, Aiden chattered to his dad about how he spent the morning.

  With a grin Nick turned to face Zoe. “Everything’s okay? Really? I noticed Aiden rode back in your car.”

  She bit her lip and gave a slight shake of her head. “We can talk later, but I’m not sure you should allow Rachel to watch your nephew. I don’t trust her.”

  Nick’s br
ows rose. “Since when?”

  She looked past him and pursed her lips.

  “Zoe, unless you can help out and watch Aiden, my hands are tied. You need to give me a good reason to not trust Rachel.”

  She stepped close to him and spoke in a hushed tone. “I was in her room earlier to clean it and surprise her.”

  He nodded. Rachel allowed her room to be cleaned three times weekly, so it made sense that Zoe would try and sneak in an extra cleaning.

  “But when I went in, I discovered something alarming.”

  “Like what?”

  “Pictures of my bedroom.”

  “What?”

  “Exactly. I don’t know how she would have gotten them except that day I discovered someone had been in my room.”

  “Are you suggesting that she planned to rob you and didn’t have time?”

  “I’m not suggesting anything other than she was in my room.”

  Nick frowned. He liked Rachel. Even felt sorry for her. He knew what it was like to lose someone you love. “Maybe the pictures were taken before you arrived. You’re jumping to conclusions.”

  “One of the photos was of my bed and my sweater was lying on it. Rachel was in my room.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded.

  “Okay. What did you say to her?”

  “Nothing about the pictures. I told her the house was too noisy so I decided to join them. What are you going to do?”

  “Eat lunch.”

  Her jaw dropped, and without thinking, he touched his finger to her chin and closed it. “Relax, Zoe. She’s not going to hurt Aiden.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  He turned. “Can’t, but I have faith in my instincts.” He stopped, startled by his declaration. It had been a long time since he’d had faith in his instincts—one of the reasons he left his practice. But this wasn’t the same thing. “Thanks for bringing this to my attention.”

  “A lot of good it did.” She crossed her arms and lifted her chin.

  He stifled a chuckle. She was adorable when miffed, and he suddenly wanted to pull her into his arms. Shaking his head at the crazy thought, he marched down the stairs to his apartment and found his family at the small table in the kitchenette. “I hope you saved me a sandwich.”

  “Yep.” Mitch handed him a wrapped foot-long sandwich. “Is everything all right?”

  “I think so. Zoe discovered something that concerned her, and she thinks we shouldn’t let Rachel be alone with Aiden anymore.” He unwrapped his meal. “Turkey, my favorite. Thanks.”

  Mitch nodded. “Why?” Concern filled his eyes.

  He explained about the pictures.

  “That’s odd, but do you think she’s a danger to Aiden?”

  “Not at all. I would never put Aiden in harms way. I believe there is more going on than we know, but I feel strongly that we can trust her with your son.”

  Nick took a large bite and chewed slowly. What purpose would Rachel have for not only snooping around in Zoe’s room, but taking pictures? It didn’t make sense, but at the same time he wasn’t alarmed, only curious. Maybe she had a thing for antiques. But why not ask to see and photograph them? Surely Zoe wouldn’t have minded.

  What other purpose could she have had? Her in-laws were the prior owners. Maybe she was trying to make memories for her unborn child. After all it was the baby’s father’s childhood home. That had to be the reason. But still, he should probably have a word with Rachel.

  “Uncle Nick. Are you mad?”

  Nick blinked and focused on his nephew. “No. What makes you ask?”

  “Your eyebrows are all scrunched up like this. And your mouth is turned upside down.” Aiden’s face mimicked the description.

  “Sorry, buddy. I didn’t mean to look angry.” He flashed a grin. “What do you have planned for this afternoon?”

  The boy shrugged and looked to his dad. “Can I watch cartoons down here? Please.” He flashed puppy dog eyes at Mitch.

  “What do you say, Nick? Can Aiden hang out down here? I assume Zoe or Rachel will be around.”

  “I got the impression Rachel was done for the day. I don’t know what Zoe has planned, and hate to impose on her. I suppose it would be all right, though. We’re outside if he needs something, and we can leave the apartment door open so Zoe can hear him if he has a problem.”

  “Yay!” The boy jumped up, knocking his chair off balance and sending it toppling. “Cartoons.”

  Nick pushed back from the table. “Easy there.” Maybe Zoe was on to something when she’d referred to Aiden as the Tasmanian Devil. “I have a few videos you can watch.” He went to a cabinet and pulled a handful of age-appropriate movies that the prior owners had left, and handed them to Mitch.

  The best way to deal with this Rachel thing was to face it head on. First thing after dinner tonight.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “I HOPE EVERYONE IS HUNGRY.” ZOE placed a large platter of spaghetti and meatballs on the table in front of Rachel, who sat across from Nick’s brother.

  “I’m starved.” Aiden’s eyes narrowed as he studied the serving platters. “Where are the worms and dinosaur eggs, Zoe?”

  “The worms are the noodles and the meatballs are the eggs.”

  “Oh, I see!” He pointed. “And the hot lava is the sauce. Cool.” The boy grinned at his dad.

  Zoe’s heart warmed toward the child. He was pretty cute, even if his taste buds were underdeveloped. She’d listened to his giggles for several hours this afternoon and had even tiptoed downstairs to see what was so funny. Who knew cartoons were that hilarious? She’d never thought so.

  She waited for the platter to be passed to her and dished up a healthy serving then realized no one was eating. She looked to Nick, who bowed his head and offered a blessing for the food.

  “Amen.” Nick looked up and met her gaze. “The food looks amazing, Zoe. Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. I hope everyone enjoys it. I thought I’d make chicken tomorrow.”

  Aiden wrinkled his nose, but to his credit didn’t say a word. Instead he stuffed a huge bite of pasta into his mouth. Sauce dribbled down his chin. “This is good.” He grinned at her. “I like fried chicken and chicken fingers.”

  “Good to know.” Zoe winked at the boy then tasted her food. He was right. Though simple, it was delicious. A burnt smell smacked her in the nose. “Oh, no.” She pushed back from the table and ran to the kitchen. Smoke billowed from the oven. She grabbed a dish towel and yanked open the oven door. Black smoke puffed into her face. She waved her hand in the air and reached for the loaf of bread with the towel.

  She dropped the charred bread into the sink.

  “Is it ruined?”

  Zoe jumped. “You scared me, Nick. Yes, it’s toast.” She grinned at the unintended pun.

  “Looks like charred rubble to me. Do we have another loaf?”

  She shook her head. “I like to buy it fresh, so I only purchased one.” She turned and lifted her gaze to his. “I’m sorry I ruined dinner.”

  He rested a hand on her shoulder. “Dinner is delicious. It’s the air that’s ruined.” His somber expression broke in to a grin. He removed his hand and opened the back door. “Whew. Maybe we should move this meal outdoors.”

  The kitchen door dividing it from the dining room swung open. Mitch stood there, followed by Aiden and Rachel, all holding plates and cups. “My thoughts exactly,” Mitch said. “I noticed a picnic table out back.”

  “Great idea. Zoe and I will grab our plates and meet you.”

  Talk about humiliating. Everyone probably wondered how she’d managed a restaurant kitchen when she couldn’t warm a simple loaf of bread.

  The trio tromped past her and headed outside.

  “It’s a nice evening to eat outdoors.” Nick looked over his shoulder. “You coming, Zoe?”

  “No. You go ahead, I’m not hungry.”

  Nick raised a brow. “No fair hiding in here.”

  “Who say
s I’m hiding?” The man had only known her a couple of weeks, and he thought he knew her. However, his perception rankled her already taunt nerves.

  “It’s obvious you’re embarrassed. Get over it. We all burn something every now and again.”

  “Right. By the way, you need to change the battery in the smoke detector. It should’ve gone off.”

  “Good point. I’ll do that right after we eat. Together. Come on. I distinctly remember you saying you liked to serve your food hot. I assume that means you like to eat it that way too.”

  She shook her head and couldn’t stop the half-grin that betrayed her vulnerability to his charm. “Fine. You win—this time, but only because you’re the boss.” Zoe quickly retrieved her plate and followed Nick outside. She couldn’t stop the pitter-patter of her heart. In spite of his flaws Nick had a charm she couldn’t deny. Now to convince him to confront Rachel about the photos.

  ****

  “HOW ABOUT YOU get Aiden settled, Mitch?” Nick reached for the now empty spaghetti platter. “I have a few things to finish up. I’ll be down a little later.”

  “Sure. Let’s go, buddy.”

  Rachel handed Nick her plate. “Thanks for dinner.”

  “Plan to join us every night this week, Rachel. My way of thanking you for putting up with the noise.”

  “Sure. I appreciate the meal, Nick. I can see why you worked in a fancy restaurant, Zoe. If you can make spaghetti so appealing I can only imagine what else you are capable of.”

  “Thank you, but this week’s menu will be geared to our youngest guest.”

  “I see. Good thing I enjoy kid food.” Rachel strolled toward the Sound.

  Nick saw the strain on Zoe’s face. The pictures she’d found must still be bothering her. He had every intention of talking with Rachel this evening, but with the commotion of their displaced meal, it hadn’t seemed appropriate.

  “You have a nice family,” Zoe said as she glided past him.

  He followed on her heels. “The best. What about you?”

  “I’m thinking of making a quiche for breakfast. What do you say?”