Love Captures the Heart (Sully Point, Book 3)

by Smith, Nicole

  Much later they made it out of bed.

  "I'm starving," Holly said. "Is there any food in this place?"

  Jason was getting dressed. "Nope. Let's go out. Any place we could get a decent meal? I could eat a horse."

  "The Diner," she said as she began pulling on jeans. "The place has been around forever and they have a menu that covers breakfast to dinner. Plus they stay open late on Saturdays and seeing as it's--what time is it?"

  He glanced at his watch. "Nine. Wow, how did it get to be that late?"

  "If you don't remember..."

  He laughed. "Oh I remember. I think we slept some in there though."

  "All right, I'm ready," she announced. "And I either want a stack of pancakes or a turkey dinner with dressing, not sure which yet."

  "Turkey dinner with all the fixings? Now that would hit the spot. Let's go."

  * * * *

  After Holly left the next morning, Jason decided that the two-story loft apartment would work as his office locally. He called Marla and she agreed to move down to Sully Point for a week. He planned to have her use the first floor as her office. Frank Grainger agreed that Marla should stay at his house for the duration.

  After some thought, Jason began to plan out the housing for the new addition to Sully Point--they were calling it Sully Point West since it was on the west side of the existing town. Maggie Carter came by to see him to get information about the project because the family had agreed the town needed to know what was going on. They already knew they had the Town Council's approval, but without public support, the project might fail.

  Monday evening, he called Holly. "Are you still at work?" he asked her.

  "No…yes. Sort of. I’m at home but I brought files home to work on here."

  "Holly…don't wear yourself out. You are coming here this weekend, right?"

  "Yes--if you plan to stay longer in Sully Point."

  "I think I'm going to need to stay for a while, and there's nothing in the city for me now."

  "Jason, it will change. People will want you as their architect again."

  "Maybe. But not anytime soon. Marla got here today. Maggie came by again. Things are moving along. It makes me not focus so much on what happened back there."

  "Well, just don't get too ensconced in small-town life. I think you'll be back here sooner than you expect."

  Jason chuckled. "Are you saying that because you miss having me there within easy access?"

  "I have to admit that I miss having you," she said with a laugh.

  "Just finish your work so you can come down on Friday. Come to Sully Point--it's the place to be."

  "Is that a slogan? Please tell me no."

  He laughed. "It was one of the rejects that came out of my brain-storming session with Maggie. That girl is pretty impressive. I feel for her having had her business tank in the city, but she's jumping right into the Sully Point campaign. It's an admirable trait in someone so young."

  Holly said, "She's not all that young. What is she, twenty-six?"

  "No, actually she's only twenty-three."

  "I see. Well, it's great she has something to offer. Will she be staying in town for a while then?"

  "Yes, I believe so. I'll probably see her tomorrow at your Dad's house, along with everyone else. There was talk of grilling chicken and vegetables for dinner. I'll be following the food."

  Holly gave a little laugh. "I'd better get back to work. I'll talk to you soon."

  "All right. Good night, and thanks for getting me to come here. I can tell already that it was the right thing to do."

  He ended the call and realized that it was going to be a long week waiting for Holly to get back. He frowned to himself. At the end of the call she really had sounded tired. Aside from his need for her sexually, she needed to come here for the weekend just to relax.

  * * * *

  Holly set her phone down carefully on the kitchen counter. Carefully, because she suddenly felt like slamming it down. What was going on there? Maggie this and Maggie that, meetings with Maggie, dinners with Maggie--and she's only twenty-three! Holly went around the bar and into the kitchen and began pulling pans and bowls out of the cabinet. Flour, cinnamon and sugar were soon causing a fine mist in the air as she sifted and dumped ingredients into a large bowl.

  Of course it was good that Maggie was enthusiastic about the project. But why did Jason suddenly sound so chipper? A few Maggie meetings and he was all cheerful and positive? She began kneading the dough for the cinnamon rolls, and all at once stopped dead still.

  What was she doing? Why was she angry? It couldn't be--no, of course it wasn't--that would be crazy--she couldn't be feeling--jealous? If she felt jealous, that would mean she was feeling things she shouldn't be feeling. Things that went against the spirit of their agreement. It would be the kind of feeling a person who was involved might feel. Or maybe even the sort of thing a person falling in love would feel. Which, of course, she wasn't. So it clearly wasn't jealousy.

  With a brief sigh of relief, she resumed working on the cinnamon rolls.

  * * * *

  The breeze coming off the water swept Jason's hair back as he walked along the rocky shore. He had decided to go walking there, to think about his work on the project. From everything he'd picked up in his meetings with the family, what they wanted was a kind of livable showcase. New materials and concepts, different ideas about what a house could or should look like, it was all very exciting. Yet, he was having trouble with the work, and he knew he needed to sort out what was holding him back.

  He gave a wry grin as he thought about it. It wasn't that he didn't know what was blocking him. He knew exactly what it was--the image of a house, the same house over and over in his mind, from all different angles, that kept intruding. The house wasn't some unknown. It felt familiar and right to him. It was the house he wanted to design and live in, his own house. But it was a house to be shared with another person.

  He sighed. It was like he wanted two different things out of life. On the one hand, he wanted to be back in the city with his business flourishing again. And on the other, he could see himself living in that house, here in Sully Point, having a wife and a family. But that wasn't who he was, really. That was a dream he let go of long ago, after his parents died. No, he'd draw up the plans for the house, and then tuck it away. It was better to live in reality, not in dreams.

  Chapter 7

  Maggie Carter was sitting at the Grainger kitchen table, having breakfast with Marla Stone. Marla was staying at Frank's house. Maggie had come over to see her, and cadge breakfast, since Anna had her hands full that morning with a fussy toddler.

  When Maggie had been brought in to deal with the public relations fiasco of Jason's business problems, she had begun to know Marla. She liked the woman who stayed so calm in the midst of the crisis, and totally admired her sense of style. Discovering that Marla would be at Frank's was a welcome surprise to Maggie.

  "So it went well, then? Your meeting with Jason yesterday?" Marla asked.

  "Yes, very well. We talked about slogans for the project and he gave me more of a sense about the kind of structures he plans to build. He's fascinating, so passionate about his work."

  "Ah, I wondered if you'd get to see that side of him."

  "Frankly, he's a gorgeous hunk, and I had a hard time focusing on what he was saying. Those green eyes of his look at you and it's like he knows everything about you. Holly is a lucky woman."

  Marla set down her coffee cup and stared at Maggie. "Holly?"

  Maggie reached for another biscuit. "Come on, you have to know about them."

  "I've suspected, yes. But what makes you so sure?"

  "When I had dinner with her, when she first invited me on board the project, she talked about him. Her tone of voice, the possessive quality, and the way her eyes got all dreamy when she mentioned him, well, it was obvious."

  "So, you think she's in love with him?"

  "Absolutely. What I don't get is w
hy they're keeping it a secret."

  "Jason didn't say anything?"

  "It was the same kind of deal. Every time he mentioned her name--which was a lot, by the way--he would get this look in his eyes and this little smile."

  "Interesting," Marla said. "Because I'm not at all sure that either of them realizes they've fallen in love."

  "What?"

  "It's true. They're both workaholics, both driven to succeed. They've focused their entire adult lives on their work. Holly has perhaps diversified a bit compared to Jason, but even when she's doing good things here in Sully Point, or helping out a friend, she keeps her businesses on track, stays focused. I think the last thing either of them is looking for is love."

  "Huh. So, what happens next? How do they figure out what's between them?"

  Marla smiled a conspiratorial smile. "We make sure they get together. Right now we have her in the city and him here. They need to at least be in the same town."

  "He told me that she'd be back on Friday or Saturday."

  "I'll check with Lana to be sure she doesn't let Holly book anything in the city for the weekend. You met Lana, right? Holly's assistant?"

  "Yeah, I did. You guys are friends?" Maggie began to smile. "Friends and matchmakers?"

  "Let's just say we like to see true love triumph in the end."

  "Cool. Could you start looking for someone for me?" She laughed, and then realized Marla was looking at her speculatively. "Hey, just kidding!"

  * * * *

  Holly took a box full of cinnamon rolls into her office to keep herself from eating them. She knew they'd be devoured in minutes by everyone at work. Lana came in and set a cup of coffee down in front of her. "You doing okay today?"

  "Sure, why wouldn't I be?"

  "You brought in pastry. You only make that kind of food when you're distressed about something."

  Holly smiled. "Maybe I just felt appreciation for the staff."

  "Hmm. Maybe."

  "Have we found out yet who bought the Trenton building?"

  Lana nodded. "The Greystone Consortium."

  Holly grimaced. "Those guys--we need somebody different. I wonder...get me Rob Tremaine, would you? I think he might be able to help, if anyone can. See if he can meet me for lunch at Pauli's."

  Lana left to make the call and then Holly began to focus on her workday. By lunch time, she was ready for a big bowl of pasta and headed out to Pauli's in a pretty good mood. They made a mean sauce Bolognese that she loved on their fresh pasta.

  Rob was waiting at a table already, so she sat down and quickly placed her order. "Thanks for meeting me so soon," Holly said.

  "Your assistant mentioned that it's not about Sully Point. What do you need my help with?"

  "Are you aware of the Trenton building, scheduled to come down in a week?"

  "Yes, Greystone bought it."

  "Is there any way to get it away from them?"

  Rob's eyebrows rose and he leaned forward in his chair. "Get it away from them? You mean, buy it? I have no idea at this point. The question is, why do it?"

  She proceeded to explain about the significance of the building to Jason. "You see, because of how important it is to him, I think he should be the one to design the new building. It would help him and also get him back in the city where he belongs. But Greystone would never hire him after the negative publicity."

  Rob looked at her thoughtfully. "And why is this so important to you, Holly? You seem rather passionate about it."

  She picked up a breadstick and began nibbling on it. "We need to get Jason back on track after all the craziness about his buildings. If we want him to do his best for us at Sully Point's project, he should be in a good place. I think designing the new building, or knowing he would be the one to do it in the future, would help him. Isn't that what we all want?"

  Rob nodded slowly. "Yes, of course. But I wonder, is this because you're in love with him?"

  Her head jerked up to stare at him. "What?"

  Rob chuckled. "It's fairly obvious. You don't go around asking me to see about buying a building on a whim. Or even for someone's mental health. But to make that person happy...maybe then it makes sense of what you're asking."

  "Of course I'm not in love with him! Sure, we spend time together, but neither one of us has time for an actual relationship."

  She saw his eyebrows rise. "Holly, why on earth not? Work can't be everything."

  She shrugged. "We've both got very time and energy-consuming jobs, and we care about our work. I'm just glad to have a friend like him who feels the same way as I do about that. Besides, you're one to talk. You're consumed by your work. Anyway, what do you think? Could you do something about the building?"

  Rob spread his hands wide. "I'm not really sure at this point. They plan to put up a building there, but they aren't the type to hire someone as brilliant and daring as Jason. I could try to buy into their consortium, buy the building site outright from them, or do some heavy lobbying for Jason to become their architect. But at this point, I don't have any leverage to use on them. And frankly, the cost to buy the site would be exorbitant. I honestly think you're looking at a lost cause here."

  She frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand. "There's something else as well. You can't go fixing something like this for him. Sometimes the things that happen in life aren't what we want. We have to find a way, when life staggers us, to recover and move on. You aren't helping him by trying to make this all okay. He's a grown man, and he deserves the chance to find his own way."

  Holly sat staring at him. "Oh my God, Rob, you're right. I've been trying to protect him, to make it all better. What the hell was I thinking?"

  He smiled at her, but said nothing.

  She felt herself blushing. "I'm not in love with him!"

  "Did I say anything?" He chuckled. "We all have to find our own way through life. On that note, I have to leave you, my dear. Time to head back into battle."

  "Will you be coming down to Sully Point this weekend? I know Julia and Cody want to see you."

  She saw him hesitate, and pulled her trump card. "I heard that the baby is doing remarkable new things."

  He smiled at her. "All right, I'll come down Friday night."

  She grinned as she watched him walk away. He was always vulnerable to mention of his grandchild. She leaned back in her chair and shook her head at herself. It wasn't like her to make such a mistake when dealing with people, as the one she'd almost made with Jason. She ordered Tiramisu and was lost in her thoughts as she ate the sweet dessert, when she heard a voice calling her name.

  "Holly?"

  She turned to see Gloria Earlington headed for her table. She stood up and smiled at the older woman. Gloria was wearing a stylish pale blue knit suit reminiscent of a Chanel creation. It brought out the blue in her eyes even more than when Holly had first met her.

  "May I join you?"

  "Certainly, Gloria." Holly motioned to a busboy to have the table cleared of Rob's dishes. "How are you doing?"

  Gloria sighed. "I tried, but so far there's nothing to be done about the Trenton building. I found out it was the Greystone Consortium who own it. Jason told me only a couple weeks ago that he would never work for Greystone. Still, you never know."

  "Why didn't he want to work for them?"

  "It seems he had a meeting with them and he was not impressed. He said they are far too conservative for any of his designs. Plus, he just didn't like them very much."

  Holly thanked Rob mentally, knowing he had saved her from making a big mistake. "So, when are you going to Sully Point, to check out Jason's big project there?"

  Gloria frowned. "I'm still not convinced that a project outside the city is what he should be doing. Having said that, I realize that I've never even seen the place, and I was thinking I might head that way this weekend."

  "I'm going on Friday afternoon. If you'd like, I could pick you up."

  "No, but thank you. I'll hire a car t
o take me down there. Tell me, is there a decent hotel?"

  Holly grimaced. "Not exactly. What I mean by that is we have tourist accommodations, but not a hotel like you're probably thinking of. I can offer you a place at my father's house...or maybe...yes, I think you'd probably much prefer staying in one of the cabins."

  "Cabins? I'm not into roughing it, Holly." Gloria looked affronted.

  Holly smiled at her. "Not at all what I meant. We call them cabins, but they are little houses that people rent out when on vacation. Of course, we'd love to have you join the family for meals, but it also gives you the option of access to a kitchen. They have maid service, and are really quite nice."

  "Can you get me one then, if I show up on Friday?"

  "I'm sure I can," Holly said, trying to remember who she could call who might have one free. "I'll call you with the details this afternoon."

  "Very good." Gloria stood up and gave Holly a smile. "I'll see you this weekend then."

  Holly watched her walk away, tall, proud, and graceful even with her cane. Suddenly it hit her what time it was, and she quickly paid the bill and dashed out of the restaurant. She had two appointments this afternoon and now, several phone calls to make. It was shaping up to be an interesting weekend in Sully Point.

  * * * *

  Jason was surprised, but pleased, to hear from Gloria that she would be in Sully Point on the weekend. He'd spent the day sitting at the new drafting table Anna had sent over, doing some old fashioned drafting and drawing without any computer input. He felt good about the designs he'd come up with, the beginning of the look he was going for in the artist colony residences. He wanted a sophisticated, yet bohemian, style. Not the starving artist, but more the patron-sponsored artist living areas.

  He was expecting Sam and Anna in a few minutes, and had just finished opening a bottle of wine when the knock came at the door. Opening it, he discovered only Anna standing there, with a basket in her hands.

  "Come in, come in. Where are Sam--and the baby?"

  "At home, thank goodness," Anna replied. "Here." She thrust the basket toward him and he smelled delicious aromas wafting from under the cloth covering it. "I made you some goodies. Savory rolls with meat and cheese inside. I don't think we want you to starve while you're here."